Institut für Ökologie, Evolution und Diversität
Refine
Year of publication
Document Type
- Article (330)
- Preprint (31)
- Doctoral Thesis (19)
- Part of a Book (2)
- Conference Proceeding (2)
Language
- English (384) (remove)
Has Fulltext
- yes (384)
Is part of the Bibliography
- no (384)
Keywords
- Invasive species (10)
- Biodiversity (9)
- Biogeography (9)
- taxonomy (8)
- Thailand (5)
- phylogeny (5)
- Community ecology (4)
- Ecological modelling (4)
- Ecology (4)
- Giraffa (4)
- Phylogeny (4)
- forensic entomology (4)
- systematics (4)
- Antarctica (3)
- Anura (3)
- Ascomycota (3)
- Asian bush mosquito (3)
- Birds (3)
- Conservation biology (3)
- Crustacea (3)
- DNA barcoding (3)
- Ecological speciation (3)
- Evolution (3)
- Fungi (3)
- Hybridization (3)
- Marine biology (3)
- Mollusca (3)
- Oxidative stress (3)
- Positive selection (3)
- Southern Ocean (3)
- Species distribution modelling (3)
- West Africa (3)
- adaptation (3)
- biodiversity (3)
- biogeography (3)
- climate change (3)
- conservation (3)
- evolution (3)
- fungi (3)
- genomics (3)
- global change (3)
- host specificity (3)
- hybridization (3)
- new species (3)
- new taxa (3)
- phylogenomics (3)
- speciation (3)
- Adaptation (2)
- Animal personality (2)
- Apomixis (2)
- Asian tiger mosquito (2)
- Basidiomycetes (2)
- Basidiomycota (2)
- COI (2)
- COII (2)
- Canis lupus (2)
- Central America (2)
- Climate change (2)
- Comparative genomics (2)
- East Africa (2)
- Ecological networks (2)
- Ecosystem services (2)
- Endocrine disruption (2)
- Environmental sciences (2)
- Europe (2)
- Evolutionary ecology (2)
- Freshwater ecology (2)
- Gene flow (2)
- Genetics (2)
- German people (2)
- Human well-being (2)
- Introgression (2)
- Invertebrates (2)
- Life-history evolution (2)
- Local adaptation (2)
- Malpighiales (2)
- Mammals (2)
- NTFPs (2)
- Phylogenetics (2)
- Poecilia (2)
- Polymers (2)
- Population genomics (2)
- Potamopyrgus antipodarum (2)
- Reptilia (2)
- Sequence alignment (2)
- Speciation (2)
- Squamata (2)
- Symbiosis (2)
- Taxonomy (2)
- Transcriptome (2)
- Trichoptera (2)
- Ursidae (2)
- WAF (2)
- Westafrika (2)
- bioacoustics (2)
- biospeleology (2)
- climate (2)
- community assembly (2)
- comparative genomics (2)
- dispersal (2)
- flow cytometry (2)
- gene flow (2)
- genetic diversity (2)
- giraffe (2)
- land use (2)
- low-dose effects (2)
- maladaptation (2)
- molecular identification (2)
- molecular phylogenetics (2)
- mtDNA (2)
- phylogenetic network (2)
- phylogenetic signal (2)
- phylogeography (2)
- population genetics (2)
- population structure (2)
- predator recognition (2)
- retrotransposition (2)
- runs of homozygosity (2)
- smut fungi (2)
- species distribution model (2)
- species richness (2)
- temperature (2)
- whole-genome sequencing (2)
- 10 new taxa (1)
- 16S barcodes (1)
- 16S mtDNA (1)
- 17a-ethinylestradiol (1)
- 2030 Agenda (1)
- AChE inhibition (1)
- AFLP (1)
- ANOSIM (1)
- Abundance (1)
- Acacia (1)
- Aculifera (1)
- Acute toxicity (1)
- Adaptive sequence evolution (1)
- Advanced treatment technologies (1)
- Aedes aegypti (1)
- Aedes albopictus (1)
- Aerosol (1)
- Afrique de l'Ouest (1)
- Afrique de l’Ouest (1)
- Afrotheria (1)
- Agaricales (1)
- Agaricomycotina (1)
- Agroecology (1)
- Agyriales (1)
- Aichi targets (1)
- Akaike information criterion (1)
- Alburnoides bipunctatus (1)
- Allopatric diversification (1)
- Altitudinal (1)
- Ameisen (1)
- Ameisenpflanzen (1)
- American crocodile (1)
- América Central (1)
- Anamorphic fungi (1)
- Androgen (1)
- Angolan giraffe (1)
- Anguillicoloides crassus (1)
- Animal behavior (1)
- Animal flight (1)
- Animal navigation (1)
- Animal phylogenetics (1)
- Animal replacement (1)
- Animal wings (1)
- Anisakid nematodes (1)
- Anisakidae (1)
- Antarctic parasites (1)
- Anthropocene (1)
- Aquatic invasion (1)
- Aquatic invertebrates (1)
- Arabidopsis (1)
- Araneae (1)
- Araneomorphae (1)
- Arctic Ocean (1)
- Arctic adaptation (1)
- Arctic fox (1)
- Artenrückgang (1)
- Assortative mating (1)
- Astaxanthin Synthase (1)
- Atakora mountain chain (1)
- Atelopus carbonerensis (1)
- Atelopus mucubajiensis (1)
- Atelopus tamaense (1)
- Australian marsupials (1)
- Autecology (1)
- Avian Clock gene (1)
- Axonal tracing (1)
- BMR (1)
- Baltic Sea (1)
- Baseline toxicity (1)
- Bathydraconinae (1)
- Batrachochytrium dentrobatidis (Bd) (1)
- Bayesian information criterion (1)
- Behavioral reaction norms (1)
- Behavioral specialization (1)
- Behavioral syndromes (1)
- Behavioral type (1)
- Benthos (1)
- Beta-diversity (1)
- Binoculars (1)
- BioFrankfurt (1)
- Biodiversity loss (1)
- Biodiversity tools and pipelines (1)
- Biodiversität (1)
- Biogeographical representativeness (1)
- Biogeographie (1)
- Biogeography of disease (1)
- Biologging (1)
- Biological invasion (1)
- Biomonitoring (1)
- Biotest (1)
- Bird flight (1)
- Bird physiology (1)
- Bisphenol A (1)
- Blech- und Metallwarenindustrie (1)
- Blow fly (1)
- Boidae (1)
- Botany (1)
- Botswana (1)
- Bottled water (1)
- Brassicales (1)
- Bromeliads (1)
- Bufonidae (1)
- Burkina Faso (1)
- C-value (1)
- C. grani (1)
- C. radiatus (1)
- C. wailesii (1)
- CAI-1 (1)
- CCD Camera (1)
- CSO (1)
- Caddisfly (1)
- Camera trapping (1)
- Canary Current (1)
- Canis lupus familiaris (1)
- Carbohydrate active enzymes (1)
- Carychium (1)
- Catalogs (1)
- Cave animal, ecotone (1)
- Cave fish (1)
- Cave-dwelling species (1)
- Centric diatom (1)
- Cephalic sensory organs (1)
- Cerebral nerves (1)
- Chaenodraco wilsoni (1)
- Champsocephalus gunnari (1)
- Channichthyidae (1)
- Chemical communication (1)
- Chemical contamination (1)
- Chemicals of emerging concern (1)
- Chicken (1)
- Chicken embryo (1)
- China (1)
- Chiquitano Dry Forest (1)
- Chironomidae (1)
- Chironomus piger (1)
- Chironomus riparius (1)
- Chiton (1)
- Chiwondo Beds (1)
- Chocó rainforest (1)
- Chorion (1)
- Chromosome number (1)
- Chrysomya chani (1)
- Chrysomya megacephala (1)
- Cladocera (1)
- Claims on land (1)
- Climate-change ecology (1)
- Climatic habitat suitability (1)
- Coccoidea (1)
- Codon models (1)
- Coevolution (1)
- Commercial pesticide preparations (1)
- Common ragweed (1)
- Communication center (1)
- Comparative Genomics (1)
- Conservation biogeography (1)
- Contact microradiography (1)
- Contracaecum (1)
- Core effectors (1)
- Core marking (1)
- Coscinodiscus concinnus (1)
- Cretaceous warming (1)
- Croatia (1)
- Crocodylus acutus (1)
- Crude oil (1)
- Cryptic diversity (1)
- Cryptic species (1)
- Cultivation (1)
- Cybertaxonomy (1)
- DNA-based taxonomy (1)
- Daily flight activity (1)
- Daphnia (1)
- Data management (1)
- Data sharing (1)
- Data standard (1)
- Data standards (1)
- Databases (1)
- Datenarchivierung (1)
- De novo assembly (1)
- Decision making (1)
- Degradation (1)
- Demersal fish (1)
- Dentin (1)
- Dentition (1)
- Depth (1)
- Deutschland / Abwasserverordnung (1)
- Development (1)
- Developmental biology (1)
- Diferential delay equation (1)
- Diptera (1)
- Direkteinleiter (1)
- Discovery (1)
- Dispersal (1)
- Dispersant (1)
- Dissemination (1)
- Distribution (1)
- Diversity (1)
- Domatien (1)
- Domestic animals (1)
- Dothideomycetes (1)
- Downy mildew (1)
- Drought (1)
- Duganella (1)
- Dysgonomonas (1)
- EBV (1)
- Earthworms (1)
- Eastern boundary upwelling ecosystem (1)
- East–west divide (1)
- Ecological niche modeling (1)
- Economic botany (1)
- Ecosystem ecology (1)
- Ecosystem effects (1)
- Ecosystem integrity (1)
- Ecosystems (1)
- Ecotoxicological status class (1)
- Ectatosticta (1)
- Ectoparasites (1)
- Ecuador (1)
- Effector Genes (1)
- Einkommen (1)
- Eisen- (1)
- Elephants (1)
- Eltonian noise hypothesis (1)
- Emerging contaminants (ECs) (1)
- Endocrine disrupting chemical (1)
- Endogenous heat load (1)
- Energy (1)
- Energy reserves (1)
- England (1)
- Entyloma microsporum complex (1)
- Entyloma ranunculi-repentis complex (1)
- Environment (1)
- Environmental impact (1)
- Environmental microbiology (1)
- Environmental risk assessment (1)
- Environmental variables (1)
- Eocene; pit organs (1)
- Ephemeroptera (1)
- Ephippia (1)
- Epidemiology (1)
- Essential biodiversity variables (1)
- Estrogen receptor (1)
- Ethnobotany (1)
- Eutheria (1)
- Evaluation matrix (1)
- Evolutionary Biology (1)
- Evolutionary ecotoxicology (1)
- Exposure (1)
- Expression analysis (1)
- Extremophile teleosts (1)
- Fate (1)
- Fatty acid metabolism (1)
- Feeding behavior (1)
- Feeding types (1)
- Fish (1)
- Fisheries (1)
- Flora (1)
- Flow cytometry (1)
- Flowering phenology (1)
- Flowers (1)
- Food packaging (1)
- Food processing (1)
- Food-web (1)
- Forensic entomology (1)
- Forensic science (1)
- Forensics (1)
- Forest ecology (1)
- Forest resources (1)
- Fraßschaden (1)
- Freshwater (1)
- Fruit body (1)
- Fungal evolution (1)
- Fusarium (1)
- Fusarium graminearum (1)
- GC content (1)
- GMYC (1)
- GPS collar (1)
- Gambusia (1)
- Gambusia affinis (1)
- Gambusia holbrooki (1)
- Gammarus fossarum (1)
- Gammarus roeselii (1)
- Ganoderic acids (1)
- Ganoderma lingzhi (1)
- Ganoderma lucidum (1)
- Ganodermataceae (1)
- Gastropoda (1)
- Gekkonidae (1)
- Generation time (1)
- Genetic variation (1)
- Genetic wildlife monitoring (1)
- Genome Assembly (1)
- Genomics (1)
- Gerlachea australis (1)
- Germany (1)
- Global (1)
- Global warming (1)
- Globaler Wandel (1)
- Glomosporiaceae (1)
- Gonad (1)
- Gonads (1)
- Gradient (1)
- Groundwater (1)
- Growth rate (1)
- Gymnodraco acuticeps (1)
- Hair sampling (1)
- Hantavirus (1)
- Hatching experiments (1)
- Helicellinae (1)
- Hengduan Mountains (1)
- High-throughput screening (1)
- Himalaya (1)
- Hispaniola (1)
- Homing behavior (1)
- Hominins (1)
- Homo (1)
- Homo erectus (1)
- Homology (1)
- Host Jump (1)
- Host specificity (1)
- Humid Chaco (1)
- Hybridisation (1)
- Hydrogen sulfide (1)
- Hydromorphology (1)
- Hydrophyten (1)
- Hyperparasitism (1)
- Hypochilidae (1)
- Hyraxes (1)
- ICN (1)
- Identification (1)
- Image processing (1)
- Imidacloprid (1)
- Immune function (1)
- In vitro (1)
- In vitro assays (1)
- In vitro bioassay (1)
- Indirekteinleiter (1)
- Industrieabwasser (1)
- Integrative taxonomy (1)
- Intermediate host (1)
- Interspecific competition (1)
- Intraspecific divergence (1)
- Iridaceae (1)
- Iridoideae (1)
- JIP-test (1)
- Janthinobacterium (1)
- Kosmopoliten (1)
- LINE-1 (1)
- LTER (1)
- LVSPE (1)
- Laboratory (1)
- Lake Constance (1)
- Land invasion (1)
- Latrunculia (1)
- Leaf clearing (1)
- Lepidoptera (1)
- Lesser Antilles (1)
- Life cycle strategy (1)
- Ling-zhi (1)
- Lingzhi (1)
- Localized defecation (1)
- Long-term ecological monitoring (1)
- Long‐term ecosystem research (1)
- Low-copy nuclear gene (1)
- Lure sticks (1)
- Macrophysiology (1)
- Macropus (1)
- Malawi (1)
- Malawi Rift (1)
- Mammalian genomics (1)
- Marine biodiversity (1)
- Marine ecology (1)
- Marine ecosystems (1)
- Marine food webs (1)
- Marisa cornuarietis (1)
- Masculinization (1)
- Mate choice (1)
- Maxent (1)
- McDonald-Kreitman test (1)
- Mediation (1)
- Medicinal plants (1)
- Mediterranean (1)
- Messel Formation (1)
- Metabolic critical temperatures (1)
- Meteorology (1)
- Mexico (1)
- Micro CT (1)
- Microalgae (1)
- Microbial ecology (1)
- Microbiota (1)
- Microplastic-biota interaction (1)
- Micropollutants (1)
- Microsatellites (1)
- Microthlaspi erraticum (1)
- Microtox (1)
- Middle Eastern biodiversity (1)
- MinION (1)
- Mitogenomics (1)
- Mittelmeerraum (1)
- Mixture risk assessment (1)
- Model complexity (1)
- Model of evolution (1)
- Molars (1)
- Molecular clock (1)
- Monographie (1)
- Moraea Mill. (1)
- Morphological traits (1)
- Morphometrics (1)
- Morphometry (1)
- Mortality (1)
- Mosquitofish (1)
- Multigeneration life-cycle test (1)
- Multiple stressors (1)
- Multixenobiotic resistance activity (1)
- Museum collections (1)
- Museum samples (1)
- Mushroom (1)
- Mutualismus (1)
- Myanmar (1)
- Myotis myotis (1)
- Myrmekophytie (1)
- NOAEC (1)
- Namibia (1)
- Nanoplastics (1)
- Natricidae (1)
- Natural product synthesis (1)
- Nature (1)
- Nature reserve (1)
- Naturschutz (1)
- Nealotus tripes (1)
- Neobiota (1)
- Neogobius melanostomus (1)
- Neomeniomorpha (1)
- Neopagetopsis ionah (1)
- Neotropical fungi (1)
- Neotropics (1)
- Neozoan (1)
- Neutron Computed Tomography (1)
- Neutron Imaging (1)
- Neutron Radiography (1)
- New species (1)
- Nf2 (1)
- Niche differentiation (1)
- Nicht-Holz-Waldprodukte (1)
- Nichtholzprodukte (1)
- Non-invasive sampling (1)
- Non-target analysis (1)
- Noninvasive genetic sampling (1)
- Normative dimension (1)
- North Sea (1)
- Notoryctes (1)
- Nucella lapillus (1)
- Nutzwert (1)
- Oaks (1)
- Obligate biotroph (1)
- Observation (1)
- Olpidiopsis (1)
- Oomycetes (1)
- Oomycota (1)
- Opisthobranchia (1)
- Orangutans (1)
- Orchideen (1)
- Ostropomycetidae (1)
- Ovary (1)
- Overcompensation (1)
- Oyster farming (1)
- Oysters (1)
- PFNL (1)
- PFNLx (1)
- PTP (1)
- Pagetopsis macropterus (1)
- Palaeontology (1)
- Paleobiology (1)
- Paleoclimate (1)
- Paleontology (1)
- Panama (1)
- Panpulmonata (1)
- Panthera onca (1)
- Papierindustrie (1)
- Parachaenichthys charcoti (1)
- Paraguay (1)
- Parameter space (1)
- Paranthropus (1)
- Parasite genetics (1)
- Parasite infection (1)
- Parasites (1)
- Parasitic infection (1)
- Particulate matter (1)
- Pathosystem (1)
- Peracarida (1)
- Peracarids (1)
- Peronospora belbahrii (1)
- Peronospora lamii (1)
- Peronospora salviae-officinalis (1)
- Personality (1)
- Personality differences (1)
- Personality traits (1)
- Pertusaria (1)
- Pertusariales (1)
- Pflanzenameisen (1)
- Pflanzengeografie (1)
- Pflanzensoziologie (1)
- Phenotype (1)
- Photorhabdus (1)
- Phylloscopidae (1)
- Phylloscopus (1)
- Phylogenetic analysis (1)
- Phylogenomics (1)
- Phylogeography (1)
- Physiological parameters (1)
- Phytohormones (1)
- Pigeons (1)
- Plant collections (1)
- Plant pathogen (1)
- Plastic bottles (1)
- Plastic packaging (1)
- Plecoptera (1)
- Pleistocene glaciations (1)
- Pleistocene populations (1)
- Pliocene (1)
- Pliocene–Pleistocene (1)
- Ploidy (1)
- Poecilia mexicana (1)
- Poeciliidae (1)
- Pollutants (1)
- Polyethylene terephthalate (1)
- Polypedates (1)
- Polyplacophora (1)
- Polyploidy (1)
- Polyporales (1)
- Pongo (1)
- Pontisma (1)
- Pool-Seq (1)
- Population continuity (1)
- Population dynamics (1)
- Population genetics (1)
- Population size (1)
- Positive Selection (1)
- Postglacial colonization (1)
- Potentilla (1)
- Predator–prey interaction (1)
- Predictability (1)
- Prediction (1)
- Premating isolation (1)
- Promoters (1)
- Protracted speciation (1)
- Pseudochaenichthys georgianus (1)
- Pseudoterranova (1)
- Public health (1)
- Puumala virus (1)
- QSARs (1)
- RNA sequencing (1)
- Racovitzia glacialis (1)
- Rain (1)
- Ranunculaceae (1)
- Rapid evolution (1)
- Reactive oxygen species (1)
- Rearing temperature (1)
- Red fox (1)
- Reishi (1)
- Relative importance index (1)
- Relic area (1)
- Reproduction (1)
- Reproduction mode (1)
- Reproductive isolation (1)
- Reproductive potential (1)
- Research infrastructure (1)
- Resource competition (1)
- Retrotransposon (1)
- Revision (1)
- Risk drivers (1)
- Risk metrics (risk quotients, toxic units, hazard units) (1)
- River pollution (1)
- Rodent-associated infections (1)
- Roosting place (1)
- Rosaceae (1)
- Rotenone (1)
- Ruderalarten (1)
- RxLR effectors (1)
- SINE (1)
- SNP (1)
- SNP genotyping (1)
- SPAD (1)
- STACEY (1)
- Sample preparation (1)
- Sap flow (1)
- Saprolegnia (1)
- Savanne (1)
- Schmierläuse (1)
- Science–society interactions (1)
- Seasonal fluctuation (1)
- Seasonal trend decomposition (1)
- Seasons (1)
- Secondary metabolites (1)
- Segetalarten (1)
- Seicercus (1)
- Sensitivity (1)
- Sequencing (1)
- Serranía de Tabasará (1)
- Serranía de Talamanca (1)
- Sex differentiation (1)
- Sex reversal (1)
- Sexual selection (1)
- Sibling species (1)
- Simulation (1)
- Sint Maarten (1)
- Site networks (1)
- Smut Fungi (1)
- Socio-cultural factors (1)
- Socio-ecology (1)
- Solenidae (1)
- Sources (1)
- South African giraffe (1)
- Southeast Asia (1)
- Spatio-temporal patterns (1)
- Species composition (1)
- Species diversity (1)
- Species extinction (1)
- Species identification (1)
- Spinturnix myoti (1)
- Sponges (1)
- Stage-structured model (1)
- StagePop (1)
- Stewardship (1)
- Stewardship and dissemination (1)
- Substitute (1)
- Subterranean environment (1)
- Subtropical East-Atlantic (1)
- Surface waters (1)
- Suspended solids (1)
- Sustainability (1)
- Sustainability research (1)
- Svalbard (1)
- Swimming (1)
- Symbiose (1)
- Südostasien (1)
- Target screening (1)
- Tasmanian devil (1)
- Taxonomie (1)
- Taxonomy crisis (1)
- Teeth (1)
- Temporal variation (1)
- Territorial songs (1)
- Testis (1)
- Testosterone (1)
- The D-statistic (1)
- Thecadactylus (1)
- Thermal desorption GC–MS (1)
- Thermal pollution (1)
- Therophyten (1)
- Tiger mosquito (1)
- Tools and pipelines (1)
- Tooth wear (1)
- Tortoise beetles (1)
- Toxicity (1)
- Toxizität (1)
- Traditional medicine (1)
- Transposable elements (1)
- Trichiurus lepturus (1)
- Triterpenic acids (1)
- Tuber aestivum (1)
- U2-OS (1)
- Urban ecology (1)
- Urodela (1)
- Ursus arctos (1)
- Usefulness (1)
- Ustilaginaceae (1)
- Ustilaginomycotina (1)
- Vector (1)
- Vector borne diseases (1)
- Vector mosquito (1)
- Vectorpathogen-host (1)
- Vein density (1)
- Vein networks (1)
- Vulpes lagopus (1)
- Vulpes vulpes (1)
- Wald als Lebensgrundlage (1)
- Wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluents (1)
- Water Framework Directive (1)
- Water chemistry (1)
- Water relations (1)
- Weddell Sea (1)
- Whales (1)
- White-rot (1)
- Whole Effluent Assessment (1)
- Whole-genome sequencing (1)
- Wide-scope chemical target screening (1)
- Wing morphometry (1)
- Wirbellose (1)
- Wirtspflanzen (1)
- Wolbachia (1)
- Xanthophyllomyces dendrorhous (1)
- Xenoestrogens (1)
- Yeast estrogen screen (1)
- Yellow fever mosquito (1)
- ZF-L (1)
- Zahn-Wellens test (1)
- Zahn-Wellens-Test (1)
- Zeigerwerte (1)
- Zoology (1)
- Zospeum (1)
- aboveground biomass (1)
- abundance (1)
- acclimation (1)
- activity sensors (1)
- air pressure (1)
- aliment sauvage (1)
- allozymes (1)
- alteración por descarga (1)
- ames fluctuation assay (1)
- amplexus (1)
- amplicon sequencing (1)
- aniline blue (1)
- ant-plants (1)
- antipredator behavior (1)
- aposematism (1)
- archeological modeling (1)
- archivage des données (1)
- asexual fungi (1)
- assembly (1)
- automated conservation assessment (1)
- avian magnetic compass (1)
- bacterial communities (1)
- bacterium-fungus interaction (1)
- barrier loci (1)
- basal oomycetes (1)
- bears (1)
- bioassay (1)
- biodiversity conservation (1)
- biodiversity education (1)
- biodiversity hotspots (1)
- biodiversity network (1)
- biodiversity networks (1)
- biodiversity research (1)
- biogeographic legaciese (1)
- biological archives (1)
- biome (1)
- biosynthetic gene clusters (1)
- bisphenol A (1)
- blow flies (1)
- blow fly (1)
- boreotropics (1)
- bottleneck (1)
- brassicaceae (1)
- bromeliads (1)
- brown bear (1)
- caddisflies (1)
- calentamiento climático (1)
- cancer (1)
- cancer-associated fibroblasts (1)
- candidate genes (1)
- carbon-13 (1)
- cave-dwelling species (1)
- caves (1)
- chloroplast capture (1)
- chromium de novo assembly (1)
- chromosomal aberrations (1)
- chromosome number (1)
- chronosequence (1)
- citation index (1)
- climate warming (1)
- clumped isotopes (1)
- coalescence (1)
- cold tolerance (1)
- coloration (1)
- coluteocarpeae (1)
- community composition (1)
- community ecology (1)
- community-weighted mean (1)
- compaction (1)
- confocal laser scanning microscopy (1)
- connaissances écologiques traditionnelles (1)
- continental drift (1)
- control region (1)
- convergent evolution (1)
- cosmopolitan (1)
- cosmopolite (1)
- costs (1)
- cpDNA (1)
- crude oil (1)
- cryptic species (1)
- cryptochrome 1a (1)
- cuticular hydrocarbons (1)
- cytochrome oxidase (1)
- data archiving (1)
- data integration (1)
- data pruning (1)
- dataset (1)
- deadwood experiments (1)
- declinación rápida de abundancia (1)
- decline (1)
- deep-sea sponge (1)
- demographic inference (1)
- demography (1)
- dental morphology (1)
- desaturase (1)
- developmental temperature (1)
- diagenesis (1)
- diatom parasites (1)
- differentially expressed genes (1)
- digital age determination (1)
- discharge alteration (1)
- discorhabdin (1)
- disequilibrium (1)
- distribution pattern (1)
- diversidad de especies (1)
- diversity metrics (1)
- diversity of species (1)
- domatia (1)
- données écologiques (1)
- dynamic temperature (1)
- déclin d’espèce revenu (1)
- dépendance des forêts (1)
- early fire (1)
- ecological data (1)
- ecological niche modelling (1)
- ecological speciation (1)
- ecological versatility (1)
- ecotoxicology (1)
- ectotherm (1)
- education (1)
- elongase (1)
- enamel (1)
- enamel thickness (1)
- endocrine disrupting chemicals (1)
- endocrine disruption (1)
- endocrine disruptor (1)
- environmental DNA (1)
- environmental conditions (1)
- environmental factors (1)
- environmental niche (1)
- environmental variables (1)
- epiphytism (1)
- espèces rudérales (1)
- espèces ségétales (1)
- essbare Wildpflanzen (1)
- estradiol equivalents (1)
- eutroglobiont gastropod (1)
- evolutionary biology (1)
- evolutionary history (1)
- feeding (1)
- female choice (1)
- fin whales (1)
- fish bones (1)
- fitness (1)
- fixed average (1)
- flavin redox cycle (1)
- flesh flies (1)
- food quality (1)
- forensics (1)
- forest classification (1)
- forest dependency (1)
- forest functional similarity (1)
- forest management (1)
- forest tree (1)
- formicine (1)
- freeze avoidance (1)
- freshwater (1)
- freshwater ecology (1)
- freshwater ecosystems (1)
- fruit body (1)
- functional traits (1)
- gene sequence data (1)
- gene signature (1)
- gene-flow (1)
- generalized additive model (1)
- genetic differentiation (1)
- genome analysis (1)
- genomic base composition (1)
- genotoxicity (1)
- geographic distributions (1)
- geomorphology (1)
- global climate change (1)
- habitat destruction (1)
- habitat filter (1)
- hardwood (1)
- hazard assessment (1)
- hidden speciation (1)
- high throughput (1)
- hind-casting (1)
- historical biogeography (1)
- holocarpic oomycetes (1)
- hominin adaptation (1)
- human evolution (1)
- human exposure (1)
- human pathogenic Nematoda (1)
- human–environment interaction (1)
- humidity (1)
- hybrid assembly (1)
- hybrid enrichment (1)
- hydrogen sulfide (1)
- hydrophytes (1)
- ice age refugia (1)
- ice coverage (1)
- impact factor (1)
- imposex (1)
- in vitro effects (1)
- income (1)
- incomplete lineage sorting (1)
- indicator values (1)
- indirect discharger (1)
- individual identification (1)
- industrial effluents (1)
- infrared (1)
- insect (1)
- insect abundance (1)
- internal transcribed spacer (1)
- internal transcribed spacer rDNA (1)
- introgression (1)
- introgressive hybridization (1)
- invasion risk assessment (1)
- invasive fish (1)
- kangaroo (1)
- land bridges (1)
- land cover changes (1)
- land degradation (1)
- land snails (1)
- landscape structure (1)
- large carnivores (1)
- larva (1)
- larval morphology, identification (1)
- latitudinal gradient in species richness (1)
- lichen secondary metabolites (1)
- lichen-forming fungi (1)
- life cycle (1)
- life stage association (1)
- life-cycle (1)
- life-form (1)
- light-activation (1)
- livelihood (1)
- local adaptation (1)
- long-term observations (1)
- long-term research (1)
- lowland tropical forest (1)
- ländliche Einkommen (1)
- ländliche Entwicklung (1)
- macrohabitat (1)
- magnesium transporters (1)
- mammals (1)
- mammary carcinoma (1)
- marine invertebrates (1)
- marsupial phylogeny (1)
- marsupials (1)
- mate choice (1)
- mating type (1)
- mayflies (1)
- melanization (1)
- metabolic pathways (1)
- metamorphosis (1)
- micro-CT (1)
- microbiome (1)
- microgastropoda (1)
- microgastropods (1)
- micromorphology (1)
- micronucleus (1)
- micronucleus assay (1)
- microsatellites (1)
- microthlaspi (1)
- mineral water (1)
- mineralized tissues (1)
- mobility (1)
- molecular barcoding (1)
- molecular clock (1)
- molecular docking (1)
- molecular networking (1)
- molecular phylogeny (1)
- molecular species discrimination (1)
- molecular systematics (1)
- monitoring (1)
- morphology (1)
- multi-locus analyses (1)
- multigene analyses (1)
- multigene phylogeny (1)
- multilocus genotype (1)
- multiple stressors (1)
- multispecies coalescent (1)
- multivariate mixed model (1)
- museum collections (1)
- mutational load (1)
- mutational spectrum bias (1)
- mutualism (1)
- myrmecophytes (1)
- nature museums (1)
- near-natural (1)
- neotype (1)
- network analysis (1)
- neutron microtomography (1)
- new combinations (1)
- new primers (1)
- next generation sequencing (1)
- next-generation sequencing (1)
- nextgeneration sequencing (1)
- noccaea (1)
- noise (1)
- nomenclature (1)
- non-independent mate choice (1)
- non-ribosomal peptide synthetases (1)
- non-timber forest products (1)
- noninvasive species (1)
- oakmoss (1)
- observaciones a largo plazo (1)
- occlusal fingerprint analysis (1)
- off-target reads (1)
- open science (1)
- orchid (1)
- orchidée (1)
- original species description (1)
- oxidative stress (1)
- oxygen-18 (1)
- palaeoecology (1)
- paleoanthropology (1)
- paleoclimate modeling (1)
- paleodiet (1)
- paleoecology (1)
- paleoenvironment modeling (1)
- paleoenvironment reconstruction (1)
- personality (1)
- phylogenetic community distance (1)
- phylogenetic conflict (1)
- phylogenetic diversity (1)
- phytodiversity (1)
- phytogeography (1)
- phytogéographie (1)
- phytosociologie (1)
- phytosociology (1)
- plant species distributions (1)
- plant-ants (1)
- plant-microbe interactions (1)
- plastic response (1)
- plastome (1)
- pleomorphic fungi (1)
- ploidy (1)
- polyketide synthases (1)
- polyploidy (1)
- polytomy (1)
- population density (1)
- population genomics (1)
- population growth (1)
- populations rurales pauvres (1)
- portable fluorimeter (1)
- positive selection (1)
- postglacial recolonization (1)
- potential invasion area (1)
- predator avoidance (1)
- primate evolution (1)
- prioritization (1)
- produits forestiers non ligneux (1)
- prosobranchia (1)
- protected areas (1)
- protected names (1)
- public awareness (1)
- qPCR (1)
- quality control (1)
- quantitative shell variation (1)
- quorum sensing (1)
- radical pairs (1)
- random genetic drift (1)
- range size (1)
- rapid abundance decline (1)
- razor clams (1)
- re-description (1)
- reassembly (1)
- recolonization (1)
- red algae (1)
- refined fuels (1)
- regurgitation pellets (1)
- reintroduction (1)
- rejected names (1)
- relationships (1)
- repeatability (1)
- reproductive isolation (1)
- reproductive toxicity (1)
- reserve substance (1)
- resilience (1)
- resistance (1)
- ressources de base (1)
- retrotransposons (1)
- revenu rural (1)
- review (1)
- ruderal species (1)
- rural income (1)
- rural poor (1)
- salinity (1)
- savane (1)
- savanna ecosystem (1)
- scientific communication (1)
- sea-ice meiofauna (1)
- seafood allergy (1)
- segetal species (1)
- sex ratio (1)
- sexual ornament (1)
- shell eyes (1)
- shell variability (1)
- short read assembly (1)
- six new taxa (1)
- smut fung (1)
- soil VOCs (1)
- soil bacteria communities (1)
- soil degradation (1)
- soil fungal communities (1)
- soil temperature (1)
- song evolution (1)
- southern Africa (1)
- spatio-temporal analysis (1)
- spatio-temporal evolution (1)
- species complex (1)
- species decline (1)
- species delineation (1)
- species discrimination (1)
- species distribution modelling (1)
- species distribution models (1)
- species groups (1)
- species inventory (1)
- species tree (1)
- specific average (1)
- split decomposition (1)
- stoneflies (1)
- stream macroinvertebrates (1)
- subgenera (1)
- substituts (1)
- subterranean land snail (1)
- sudano-sahelien zone (1)
- superfemale (1)
- sustainability (1)
- systematic diversity (1)
- systems knowledge (1)
- taphonom (1)
- taphonomy (1)
- target knowledge (1)
- taxon sampling (1)
- taxonomic impediment (1)
- taxonomía (1)
- temperature adaptation (1)
- terpene synthases (1)
- the Weddell Sea (1)
- therophytes (1)
- thlaspi (1)
- threats (1)
- thérophytes (1)
- traditional ecological knowledge (1)
- traditionelles ökologisches Wissen (1)
- transcription factor (1)
- transcriptional profiling (1)
- transcriptome (1)
- transcriptome analysis (1)
- transcriptomics (1)
- transdisciplinarity (1)
- transfer (1)
- transformation knowledge (1)
- transposable element (1)
- transposable elements (1)
- tree moss (1)
- trees (1)
- tributyltin (1)
- tropical Africa (1)
- tropical forests (1)
- tropical fungi (1)
- trypan blue (1)
- type species (1)
- under-ice fauna (1)
- unit nomenclature (1)
- urbanity gradient (1)
- urbanization (1)
- use value (1)
- valeur d'usage (1)
- valeurs indicatrices (1)
- variable selection (1)
- violacein (1)
- vocalización (1)
- vocalization (1)
- volatile organic compounds (1)
- voucherless taxa (1)
- water parameter (1)
- wax layer (1)
- whaling (1)
- wild food (1)
- winter survival (1)
- wood-inhabiting fungi (1)
- worm-mollusc (1)
- xenoestrogen (1)
- zooplankton (1)
- ökologische Daten (1)
Institute
- Institut für Ökologie, Evolution und Diversität (384)
- Senckenbergische Naturforschende Gesellschaft (201)
- Biodiversität und Klima Forschungszentrum (BiK-F) (129)
- Biowissenschaften (93)
- Medizin (13)
- Zentrum für Interdisziplinäre Afrikaforschung (ZIAF) (9)
- Geowissenschaften (6)
- LOEWE-Schwerpunkt für Integrative Pilzforschung (5)
- Institut für sozial-ökologische Forschung (ISOE) (3)
- Exzellenzcluster Makromolekulare Komplexe (2)
The study of organisms with restricted dispersal abilities and presence in the fossil record is particularly adequate to understand the impact of climate changes on the distribution and genetic structure of species. Trochoidea geyeri (Soós 1926) is a land snail restricted to a patchy, insular distribution in Germany and France. Fossil evidence suggests that current populations of T. geyeri are relicts of a much more widespread distribution during more favourable climatic periods in the Pleistocene. Results: Phylogeographic analysis of the mitochondrial 16S rDNA and nuclear ITS-1 sequence variation was used to infer the history of the remnant populations of T. geyeri. Nested clade analysis for both loci suggested that the origin of the species is in the Provence from where it expanded its range first to Southwest France and subsequently from there to Germany. Estimated divergence times predating the last glacial maximum between 25–17 ka implied that the colonization of the northern part of the current species range occurred during the Pleistocene. Conclusion: We conclude that T. geyeri could quite successfully persist in cryptic refugia during major climatic changes in the past, despite of a restricted capacity of individuals to actively avoid unfavourable conditions.
We demonstrate how a classical taxonomic description of a new species can be enhanced by applying new generation molecular methods, and novel computing and imaging technologies. A cave-dwelling centipede, Eupolybothrus cavernicolus Komerički & Stoev sp. n. (Chilopoda: Lithobiomorpha: Lithobiidae), found in a remote karst region in Knin, Croatia, is the first eukaryotic species for which, in addition to the traditional morphological description, we provide a fully sequenced transcriptome, a DNA barcode, detailed anatomical X-ray microtomography (micro-CT) scans, and a movie of the living specimen to document important traits of its ex-situ behaviour. By employing micro-CT scanning in a new species for the first time, we create a high-resolution morphological and anatomical dataset that allows virtual reconstructions of the specimen and subsequent interactive manipulation to test the recently introduced ‘cybertype’ notion. In addition, the transcriptome was recorded with a total of 67,785 scaffolds, having an average length of 812 bp and N50 of 1,448 bp (see GigaDB). Subsequent annotation of 22,866 scaffolds was conducted by tracing homologs against current available databases, including Nr, SwissProt and COG. This pilot project illustrates a workflow of producing, storing, publishing and disseminating large data sets associated with a description of a new taxon. All data have been deposited in publicly accessible repositories, such as GigaScience GigaDB, NCBI, BOLD, Morphbank and Morphosource, and the respective open licenses used ensure their accessibility and re-usability.
Erratum to doi:10.1186/s13071-016-1853-2
Marine nematodes of the genus Anisakis are common parasites of a wide range of aquatic organisms. Public interest is primarily based on their importance as zoonotic agents of the human Anisakiasis, a severe infection of the gastro-intestinal tract as result of consuming live larvae in insufficiently cooked fish dishes. The diverse nature of external impacts unequally influencing larval and adult stages of marine endohelminth parasites requires the consideration of both abiotic and biotic factors. Whereas abiotic factors are generally more relevant for early life stages and might also be linked to intermediate hosts, definitive hosts are indispensable for a parasite’s reproduction. In order to better understand the uneven occurrence of parasites in fish species, we here use the maximum entropy approach (Maxent) to model the habitat suitability for nine Anisakis species accounting for abiotic parameters as well as biotic data (definitive hosts). The modelled habitat suitability reflects the observed distribution quite well for all Anisakis species, however, in some cases, habitat suitability exceeded the known geographical distribution, suggesting a wider distribution than presently recorded. We suggest that integrative modelling combining abiotic and biotic parameters is a valid approach for habitat suitability assessments of Anisakis, and potentially other marine parasite species.
Human exposure to endocrine disruptors is well documented by biomonitoring data. However, this information is limited to few chemicals like bisphenol A or phthalate plasticizers. To account for so-far unidentified endocrine disruptors and potential mixture effects we employ bioassays to detect endocrine activity in foodstuff and consequently characterize the integrated exposure to endocrine active compounds. Recently, we reported a broad contamination of commercially available bottled water with estrogenic activity and presented evidence for the plastic packaging being a source of this contamination. In continuation of that work, we here compare different sample preparation methods to extract estrogen-like compounds from bottled water. These data demonstrate that inappropriate extraction methods and sample treatment may lead to false-negative results when testing water extracts in bioassays. Using an optimized sample preparation strategy, we furthermore present data on the estrogenic activity of bottled water from France, Germany, and Italy: eleven of the 18 analyzed water samples (61.1%) induced a significant estrogenic response in a bioassay employing a human carcinoma cell line (MCF7, E-Screen). The relative proliferative effects ranged from 19.8 to 50.2% corresponding to an estrogenic activity of 1.9-12.2 pg estradiol equivalents per liter bottled water. When comparing water of the same spring that is packed in glass or plastic bottles made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), estrogenic activity is three times higher in water from plastic bottles. These data support the hypothesis that PET packaging materials are a source of estrogen-like compounds. Furthermore, the findings presented here conform to previous studies and indicate that the contamination of bottled water with endocrine disruptors is a transnational phenomenon.
Background, aim, and scope Food consumption is an important route of human exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals. So far, this has been demonstrated by exposure modeling or analytical identification of single substances in foodstuff (e.g., phthalates) and human body fluids (e.g., urine and blood). Since the research in this field is focused on few chemicals (and thus missing mixture effects), the overall contamination of edibles with xenohormones is largely unknown. The aim of this study was to assess the integrated estrogenic burden of bottled mineral water as model foodstuff and to characterize the potential sources of the estrogenic contamination. Materials, methods, and results In the present study, we analyzed commercially available mineral water in an in vitro system with the human estrogen receptor alpha and detected estrogenic contamination in 60% of all samples with a maximum activity equivalent to 75.2 ng/l of the natural sex hormone 17beta-estradiol. Furthermore, breeding of the molluskan model Potamopyrgus antipodarum in water bottles made of glass and plastic [polyethylene terephthalate (PET)] resulted in an increased reproductive output of snails cultured in PET bottles. This provides first evidence that substances leaching from plastic food packaging materials act as functional estrogens in vivo. Discussion and conclusions Our results demonstrate a widespread contamination of mineral water with xenoestrogens that partly originates from compounds leaching from the plastic packaging material. These substances possess potent estrogenic activity in vivo in a molluskan sentinel. Overall, the results indicate that a broader range of foodstuff may be contaminated with endocrine disruptors when packed in plastics. Keywords Endocrine disrupting chemicals - Estradiol equivalents - Human exposure - In vitro effects - In vivo effects - Mineral water - Plastic bottles - Plastic packaging - Polyethylene terephthalate - Potamopyrgus antipodarum - Yeast estrogen screen - Xenoestrogens
The impact of climate change that comes with a dramatic increase of long periods of extreme summer drought associated with heat is a fundamental challenge for European forests. As a result, forests are expected to shift their distribution patterns toward north-east, which may lead to a dramatic loss in value of European forest land. Consequently, unraveling key processes that underlie drought stress tolerance is not only of great scientific but also of utmost economic importance for forests to withstand future heat and drought wave scenarios. To reveal drought stress-related molecular patterns we applied cross-species comparative transcriptomics of three major European oak species: the less tolerant deciduous pedunculate oak (Quercus robur), the deciduous but quite tolerant pubescent oak (Q. pubescens), and the very tolerant evergreen holm oak (Q. ilex). We found 415, 79, and 222 differentially expressed genes during drought stress in Q. robur, Q. pubescens, and Q. ilex, respectively, indicating species-specific response mechanisms. Further, by comparative orthologous gene family analysis, 517 orthologous genes could be characterized that may play an important role in drought stress adaptation on the genus level. New regulatory candidate pathways and genes in the context of drought stress response were identified, highlighting the importance of the antioxidant capacity, the mitochondrial respiration machinery, the lignification of the water transport system, and the suppression of drought-induced senescence - providing a valuable knowledge base that could be integrated in breeding programs in the face of climate change.
The Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae, SKUSE), is an important threat to public health due to its rapid spread and its potential as a vector. The eggs of Ae. albopictus are the most cold resistant life stage and thus, the cold hardiness of eggs is used to predict the future occurrence of the species in distribution models. However, the mechanism of cold hardiness has yet to be revealed. To address this question, we analyzed the layers of diapausing and cold acclimatized eggs of a temperate population of Ae. albopictus in a full factorial test design using transmission electron microscopy. We reviewed the hypotheses that a thickened wax layer or chorion is the cause of cold hardiness but found no evidence. As a result of the induced diapause, the thickness of the dark endochorion as a layer of high electron density and thus an assumed location for waxes was decreasing. We therefore hypothesized a qualitative alteration of the wax layer due to compaction. Cold acclimation was causing an increase in the thickness of the middle serosa cuticle indicating a detachment of serosa membrane from the endochorion as a potential adaptation strategy to isolate inoculating ice formations in the inter-membranous space.
West African Savanna ecosystems are undergoing severe changes in their vegetation composition due to the impact of human land use and changes in climatic conditions. This study aims to examine the effect of climate, land use, and their interaction on species richness and composition of West African herbaceous vegetation. Plot based vegetation sampling was done in Burkina Faso. Specific richness and diversity indices were used to determine the effect of land use, climate, and their interaction. An importance value was computed to determine herbaceous species dominating the communities. Frequency of species is used to examine their distribution pattern. The results showed that climate significantly influenced herbaceous specific richness more than land use. However, land use had a significant effect on herbaceous vegetation composition. Herbaceous species diversity changed with environmental conditions. The floristic composition of dominant species is driven by both climate and land use. The frequency of distribution demonstrated that herbaceous species occurrences were more influenced by the mixed effect of climate and land use than their separate effects. Occasional and rare species are the most important part of herbaceous vegetation. Thus heterogeneity of Savanna ecosystem and vulnerability of herbaceous species are high.
We welcome critical appraisals that help to provide balance; however, Dietrich et al. gave an unjustified reproach. We feel that Dietrich’s position is severely compromised because he serves as an expert for the bisphenol A (BPA) Industry Group (Brussels, Belgium). We would like to respond to the issues raised by Dietrich et al., as well as to their oversights and inappropriate interpretations of our findings...
Municipal wastewater contains nutrients valuable for a reuse in agriculture and can be the source of a multitude of chemicals used in private households and industry, too. As many of these chemicals are incompletely degraded during wastewater treatment, their residues remain partly in sewage sludge and partly in treated wastewater. Concerns are linked particularly to the so called micropollutants, i.e. anthropogenic organic substances such as personal care products, pharmaceuticals and biocides, for which scarce data on their degradability and environmental fate and particularly on their ecotoxicity are available. Thus, when reusing treated wastewater and sewage sludge for irrigation or as soil amendment for a sustainable land and water management, these wastewater-borne pollutants may enter soil, groundwater and surface water. The present work therefore aimed at assessing potential ecotoxic effects on aquatic and terrestrial organisms of reusing treated wastewater and sewage sludge. To this end, established as well as newly developed experimental approaches were used to investigate the problem on several levels. Individual wastewater-borne substances, samples from field study sites and samples from a soil column experiment simulating prolonged wastewater irrigation were examined.
At the start of the experimental work, the ecotoxicity of climbazole was characterised towards five aquatic and five terrestrial test organisms. Climbazole is an azole antimycotic agent applied in cosmetics and anti-dandruff shampoos and was recently detected in relatively high concentrations in treated wastewater and sewage sludge. In the present work climbazole was found to be particularly toxic towards plants such as water lentils with effective concentrations comparable to those of agricultural azole fungicides. Dwarfism, that is reduced shoot elongation observed in plants, pointed at a specific, phytohormone inhibiting mode of action of climbazole. Furthermore, the expected influence of the soil pH on the phytotoxicity of climbazole was experimentally confirmed.
Based on the findings for climbazole, two additional azole antimycotics, ketoconazole and fluconazole, and the regularly in sewage sludge detected biocide benzyldimethyldodecyl-ammonium chloride (BDDA) were investigated for their toxicity towards plants.
In aqueous medium, an increasing phytotoxicity from fluconazole to BDDA, ketoconazole and climbazole was observed, while in soil, phytotoxicity increased from BDDA to ketoconazole, climbazole and fluconazole. The relatively low terrestrial toxicity of BDDA and ketoconazole probably resulted from their strong binding to soil as well as their good biodegradability. To render the exposure scenario more realistic, sewage sludge was co-applied with the four test substances in a parallel test run. However, as no detectable influence on their effective concentrations was found, it can be assumed that the current practice of assessing sewage sludge borne substances with biotests in standard soil is sufficiently realistic. In a further study, different advanced sludge-treatment technologies were assessed for their efficacy in reducing pollutants. Results from the present work indicated that effects assessed in terrestrial short term biotests only seldom correlated with the concentrations of certain pollutants. Rather, a negative correlation of the stability of the sludges, determined by the ratio of volatile to total solids, to their ecotoxicity was seen.
Another aspect of the present work was the design and performance of an experimental approach to assess the environmental risk of a long-term irrigation with treated wastewater concerning the quality of soil and water in a prospective way, i.e. before the installation at field scale. For the simulation of a continuous irrigation corresponding to approximately 30 years, a percolation apparatus was developed and four different soils were percolated with treated wastewater for three months. Acute and chronic biotests with nine test organisms from different trophic levels (green algae, water lentils and water fleas as well as oilseed rape, oats, bacteria, spring tails, enchytraeids and earthworms) were used to assess the soil percolates as well as the soils with and without percolation. These investigations were accompanied by a comprehensive chemical monitoring conducted by project partners. Results indicated that the soil passage, that is the percolation through the soil, generally improved the quality of the treated wastewater as habitat for aquatic organisms which was visible by a reduction of its phytotoxicity. However, in some cases it deteriorated the water quality, probably resulting from the leaching of metals from pre-contaminated soil. A deteriorated habitat quality of the soil after the percolation with treated wastewater was observed for several test organisms and soils. In the same, mainly peaty soils, the highest accumulation of wastewater-borne micropollutants and of zinc was measured. Yet, their concentrations did not correlate to the observed biological effects. Moreover, data on ecotoxicity were only available for a small fraction of the detected substances so that their concentrations could not successfully be used to predict expected biological effects.
The experimental approach used in the present work demonstrated to be an adequate tool to support the prospective evaluation of environmental risks of treated wastewater irrigation. Overall, it can be concluded that the reuse of treated wastewater on soil can improve the quality of treated wastewater but that this can come at the cost of deteriorating the quality of the soil. As these risks cannot be generalised, a comprehensive biotest battery as well as chemical analysis should be used to assess them on a case-specific basis for each respective wastewater and the respective soil.
Ecological networks are more sensitive to plant than to animal extinction under climate change
(2016)
Impacts of climate change on individual species are increasingly well documented, but we lack understanding of how these effects propagate through ecological communities. Here we combine species distribution models with ecological network analyses to test potential impacts of climate change on >700 plant and animal species in pollination and seed-dispersal networks from central Europe. We discover that animal species that interact with a low diversity of plant species have narrow climatic niches and are most vulnerable to climate change. In contrast, biotic specialization of plants is not related to climatic niche breadth and vulnerability. A simulation model incorporating different scenarios of species coextinction and capacities for partner switches shows that projected plant extinctions under climate change are more likely to trigger animal coextinctions than vice versa. This result demonstrates that impacts of climate change on biodiversity can be amplified via extinction cascades from plants to animals in ecological networks.
The subfamily Bromelioideae is one of the most diverse groups among the neotropical Bromeliaceae. Previously, key innovations have been identified which account for the extraordinary radiation and species richness of this subfamily, especially in the so-called core Bromelioideae. However, in order to extend our understanding of the evolutionary mechanisms, the genomic mechanisms (e.g. polyploidy, dysploidy) that potentially underlie this accelerated speciation also need to be tested. Here, using PI and DAPI staining and flow cytometry we estimated genome size and GC content of 231 plants covering 30 genera and 165 species and combined it with published data. The evolutionary and ecological significance of all three genomic characters was tested within a previously generated dated phylogenetic framework using ancestral state reconstructions, comparative phylogenetic methods, and multiple regressions with climatic variables. The absolute genome size (2C) of Bromelioideae varied between 0.59 and 4.11 pg, and the GC content ranged between 36.73 and 41.43%. The monoploid genome sizes (Cx) differed significantly between core and early diverging lineages. The occurrence of dysploidy and polyploidy was, with few exceptions, limited to the phylogenetically isolated early diverging tank-less lineages. For Cx and GC content Ornstein–Uhlenbeck models outperformed the Brownian motion models suggesting adaptive potential linked to the temperature conditions. 2C-values revealed different rates of evolution in core and early diverging lineages also related to climatic conditions. Our results suggest that polyploidy is not associated with higher net diversification and fast radiation in core bromelioids. On the other hand, although coupled with higher extinction rates, dysploidy, polyploidy, and resulting genomic reorganizations might have played a role in the survival of the early diverging bromelioids in hot and arid environments.
Diatoms are thought to provide about 40% of total global photosynthesis and diatoms of the genus Coscinodiscus are an important, sometimes dominant, cosmopolitan component of the marine diatom community. The oomycete parasitoid Lagenisma coscinodisci is widespread in the northern hemisphere on its hosts in the genus Coscinodiscus. Because of its potential ecological importance, it would be a suitable pathogen model to investigate plankton/parasite interactions, but the species cannot be cultivated on media without its host, so far. Thus, it was the aim of this study to explore the potential of dual culture of host and pathogen in the laboratory and to optimise cultivation to ensure a long-term cultivation of the pathogen. Here, we report successful cultivation of a single spore strain of L. coscinodisci (Isla), on several Coscinodiscus species and strains, as well as the establishment of a cultivation routine with Coscinodiscus granii (CGS1 and CG36), which enabled us to maintain the single spore strain for more than 3 years in 6 cm Petri dishes and 10 ml tissue culture flasks. This opens up the opportunity to study the processes and mechanism in plankton/parasitoid interactions under controlled conditions.
Don't poke the bear : using tracking data to quantify behavioural syndromes in elusive wildlife
(2018)
Animal personality traits and the emergence of behavioural syndromes, i.e. between-individual correlation of behaviours, are commonly quantified from behavioural observations in controlled environments. Subjecting large and elusive wildlife to controlled test situations is, however, rarely possible, suggesting that ecologists should exploit alternative measures of behaviours for quantifying differences between individuals. Our goal was to test whether movement and space use data can be used to quantify behavioural syndromes in the wild. We quantified six behaviours from GPS and dual motion sensor tracking devices of 46 adult female brown bears followed in southcentral Sweden over the summer and early autumn. As well as daily travel distance, an indicator for activity, and daily displacement, an indicator for exploration, we quantified four behaviours that increase a bear's likelihood of encountering humans and could thus serve as indicators for boldness: diurnality, selection for roads and selection for two open habitat types, bogs and clearcuts, with low lateral cover. We tested (1) whether behaviours showed repeatable between-individual variation (animal personality) and (2) whether behaviours were correlated between individuals and thus formed a behavioural syndrome. Repeatability of behaviours ranged from 0.16 to 0.61 confirming between-individual variation in movement, activity and space use. A multivariate mixed model revealed significant positive correlations between travel distance, displacement and diurnality, suggesting the existence of an activity–exploration and potentially partial boldness syndrome in our bear population. Selection for exposed or human-frequented habitats were uncorrelated with the activity–exploration syndrome and with each other, albeit there was a trend for stronger road avoidance by bears that readily used clearcuts. We show that large tracking data sets can be used to quantify between-individual correlation in spatial behaviours. We suggest that delineating behavioural types from wildlife tracking data will be of increasing interest because of the importance of animal personality for ecological processes, wildlife conservation and human–wildlife coexistence.
Background: One aspect of premating isolation between diverging, locally-adapted population pairs is female mate choice for resident over alien male phenotypes. Mating preferences often show considerable individual variation, and whether or not certain individuals are more likely to contribute to population interbreeding remains to be studied. In the Poecilia mexicana-species complex different ecotypes have adapted to hydrogen sulfide (H2S)-toxic springs, and females from adjacent non-sulfidic habitats prefer resident over sulfide-adapted males. We asked if consistent individual differences in behavioral tendencies (animal personality) predict the strength and direction of the mate choice component of premating isolation in this system.
Results: We characterized focal females for their personality and found behavioral measures of ‘novel object exploration’, ‘boldness’ and ‘activity in an unknown area’ to be highly repeatable. Furthermore, the interaction term between our measures of exploration and boldness affected focal females’ strength of preference (SOP) for the resident male phenotype in dichotomous association preference tests. High exploration tendencies were coupled with stronger SOPs for resident over alien mating partners in bold, but not shy, females. Shy and/or little explorative females had an increased likelihood of preferring the non-resident phenotype and thus, are more likely to contribute to rare population hybridization. When we offered large vs. small conspecific stimulus males instead, less explorative females showed stronger preferences for large male body size. However, this effect disappeared when the size difference between the stimulus males was small.
Conclusions: Our results suggest that personality affects female mate choice in a very nuanced fashion. Hence, population differences in the distribution of personality types could be facilitating or impeding reproductive isolation between diverging populations depending on the study system and the male trait(s) upon which females base their mating decisions, respectively.
Since the 1980s, advances in wastewater treatment technology have led to considerably improved surface water quality in the urban areas of many high income countries. However, trace concentrations of organic wastewater-associated contaminants may still pose a key environmental hazard impairing the ecological quality of surface waters. To identify key impact factors, we analyzed the effects of a wide range of anthropogenic and environmental variables on the aquatic macroinvertebrate community. We assessed ecological water quality at 26 sampling sites in four urban German lowland river systems with a 0–100% load of state-of-the-art biological activated sludge treated wastewater. The chemical analysis suite comprised 12 organic contaminants (five phosphor organic flame retardants, two musk fragrances, bisphenol A, nonylphenol, octylphenol, diethyltoluamide, terbutryn), 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and 12 heavy metals. Non-metric multidimensional scaling identified organic contaminants that are mainly wastewater-associated (i.e., phosphor organic flame retardants, musk fragrances, and diethyltoluamide) as a major impact variable on macroinvertebrate species composition. The structural degradation of streams was also identified as a significant factor. Multiple linear regression models revealed a significant impact of organic contaminants on invertebrate populations, in particular on Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera species. Spearman rank correlation analyses confirmed wastewater-associated organic contaminants as the most significant variable negatively impacting the biodiversity of sensitive macroinvertebrate species. In addition to increased aquatic pollution with organic contaminants, a greater wastewater fraction was accompanied by a slight decrease in oxygen concentration and an increase in salinity. This study highlights the importance of reducing the wastewater-associated impact on surface waters. For aquatic ecosystems in urban areas this would lead to: (i) improvement of the ecological integrity, (ii) reduction of biodiversity loss, and (iii) faster achievement of objectives of legislative requirements, e.g., the European Water Framework Directive.
Methods using environmental DNA to explore and analyze biodiversity from previously unexplored habitats and ecosystems have become increasingly popular in recent years. This is particularly due to the potential reduction in necessary taxonomic expertise, the opportunity to assess microorganismal communities, and decreased time investments required to cover large spatial extents. In forests, the surface of tree bark is an important habitat for epiphytic diversity. Because of the large surface area rich in micro-niches, the seasonal stability of the substrate, and the longevity of trees, tree bark surfaces provide an ideal habitat for many species. Yet, we lack a comprehensive understanding of their communities and the environmental drivers behind the community assembly. These missing links hinder the exploration of the forest microbiome as a whole and limits our understanding of functions of a large forest habitat and its connections to other forest microbiomes. With a holistic eDNA metabarcoding approach, encompassing samples of three major taxonomic groups (e.g. bacteria, fungi, and green algae), as well as simultaneous collections from multiple forest habitats we can contribute to closing these gaps and increase our knowledge of the forest microbiome.
My dissertation is set within the framework of the Biodiversity Exploratories and was conducted in four parts: I. the establishment of an eDNA metabarcoding workflow to reveal the local diversity of the bark surface microbiome; II. the upscaling of the method to large geographic and environmental gradients to uncover the drivers of the microbiome; III. the integration of soil and bark samples to investigate compositional differences in two important forest habitats; IV. the evaluation of eDNA metabarcoding as a tool for biodiversity assessments of lichen diversity in forests.
In the first part, I developed a simple, cost-effective and fast sampling strategy to acquire eDNA samples from the bark of trees in forest ecosystems. Using readily available medical-specimen-collection swabs I sampled bark surfaces of individual trees in Central German forests and used metabarcoding to amplify marker genes of green algae, fungi and bacteria. From the sequencing reads I calculated the first diversity estimates of the major organismal groups of bark surface microbiomes from Central European forests. Overall the methodology produced reliable results, allowing for an expanded sampling in the second part.
In the second part of the dissertation, I expanded the sampling based on the results of part one. I collected bark surface samples from the three regions of the Biodiversity Exploratories covering large spatial and environmental gradients representative for Central European forests. The collection included composite samples from 150 plots and over 750 trees. Utilizing measurements of climatic and forest structure variables provided by the Biodiversity Exploratories, as well as my own community data, I identified the biotic and abiotic drivers behind alpha and beta diversity of the bark surface microbiome.
In the third part, I studied the differences between the bark surface as an unexplored and the soil as an example of a well characterized forest microbiome. Using only the fungal part of the large sampling campaign and soil samples obtained from the same plots at the same time, I assessed the commonalities and differences of the micro-communities of these distinct forest niches. Furthermore, I included two coniferous and one deciduous tree species to examine, if the effect of tree species, previously shown for soil microbiomes, also holds true for the bark surface.
In the last part of my dissertation, I used eDNA in a more applied way as a tool in biodiversity assessments of lichenized fungi. I compared the results from eDNA metabarcoding to an expert floristic mapping conducted in the same plots in 2007/2008. I assigned functional guilds to the fungal taxa obtained in the large sampling campaign and used a subset that was assigned as lichenized fungi.
In conclusion, I showed that eDNA metabarcoding is a valuable tool to reveal the unknown diversity of microorganisms in forest ecosystems. In particular, my results advance our understanding of the bark surface microbiome, an underexplored habitat within forests. The tightly linked interactions of the three major microbial groups underline that studies need to take holistic approaches across multiple taxonomic groups to deepen our understanding of processes governing the assembly of microbiomes. Results from my dissertation may serve as a foundation to inform hypotheses addressing the functions of forest microbiomes. The massive diversity data collected may also contribute to closing the gap in our understanding of macro-organisms and micro-organisms with respect to diversity distributions and patterns of richness, and serve as a baseline for predictions of biodiversity responses under future anthropogenic change.
Panama is a megadiverse country that together with Costa Rica constitutes Lower Central America (LCA). Western Panama's Cordillera Central accounts for the eastern part of the LCA highlands shared between these countries. The aim of the present study is to compile the most complete and updated picture possible of the taxonomy, diversity, and distribution of reptiles that occur from 500 m asl upwards along the Talamanca and Tabasará ranges. These two continuous mountain ridges account for the western two-thirds of the Cordillera Central between the Costa Rican border and 81°W Including specimens collected four own research travels, I morphologically examined more than 1800 specimens, analyzed 16S and/or COI barcodes of 300 specimens, and performed a thorough search in literature and databases to obtain locality records for specimens and species occurrences. My complete occurrence dataset comprises 14620 georeferenced occurrence records in three quality categories. Conceivable occurrences of species not yet documented from a given area are evaluated on the basis of existing data either as "plausible" or "possible". I provide all datasets which I generated for this study in Appendices. The previously published descriptions of Dactyloa ginaelisae Lotzkat, Hertz, Bienentreu & Köhler 2013, Norops benedikti (Lotzkat, Bienentreu, Hertz & Köhler 2011), Sibon perissostichon Köhler, Lotzkat & Hertz 2010, and Sibon noalamina Lotzkat, Hertz & Köhler 2012 are included in the present work. In the course of integrative taxonomic analyses, I classify 15 genealogical lineages revealed by DNA barcoding within 7 anole species as Deep Conspecific Lineages (DCLs) because they lack consistent morphological differences to their nominal conspecifics. I provisionally classify 18 mitochondrial lineages found within six other anole species as Unconfirmed Genealogical Lineages (UGLs) pending adequate analyses of their morphological variation. I regard the two additional UGLs Celestus sp. and Geophis sp. and the two Confirmed Genealogical Lineages (CGLs) Lepidoblepharis sp. 1 and 2 to represent undescribed species. My taxonomic analyses yield the hitherto most comprehensive survey of the variability exhibited by dozens of reptile species in western Panama. The 16S and/or COI barcodes I provide represent 65 species recognized herein and constitute the first DNA barcode reference library for LCA reptiles. The reptile fauna of Panama comprises 265 species, including the four UGLs and CGLs mentioned above and characterized for the first time in this study, as well as Dendrophidion crybelum Cadle 2012 whose presence in the country I consider plausible. My occurrence dataset reveals that 160 of these species have been documented to occur in my study area. Adding the 20 species whose occurrence therein I consider plausible, I report the total species richness of the Talamanca and Tabasará ranges as comprising 180 species representing 81 genera in 25 families. With 178.8 species per 10 000 km2, the relative species richness of the area is extremely high even in a tropical context. In view of their overall documented distribution, I regard the presence of 27 additional species in my study area as possible. For the 180 species occurring in my study area I provide standardized species accounts that, together with the taxonomic results, for the first time permit the doubtless identification of all 180 species, and illustrate 168 of these with color photographs. Concerning biogeography, my georeferenced dataset yields noteworthy distribution extensions for many species. Moreover, I present the hitherto most comprehensive, detailed, and reproducible assessments of the distribution patterns, historical origins, and conservation as well as of the occurrence among physiographic regions, climatic and altitudinal belts, political subdivisions, and protected areas, for my study area's reptile fauna. With 65 species, more than a third of the fauna is endemic to LCA. Among these, 42 Talamancan highland endemics are restricted to the LCA highlands, in the case of 16 small-scale highland endemics with documented ranges spanning less than 100 km. I assess many of these endemics as endangered. The fact that several of these species do not occur in any protected area renders the establishment of additional conservation areas necessary, especially in the central Serranía de Tabasará. Distributional range boundaries shared among different clades of highland anoles indicate physiographic and climatic barriers that may have effected in situ speciation within these lineages. As the largest study on Panamanian reptile diversity assembled to date, the present dissertation considerably increases our knowledge on the reptiles along the Cordillera Central and beyond, and thus constitutes a solid basis for future studies.
Soil degradation can have an impact on the soil microbiota, but its specific effects on soil fungal communities are poorly understood. In this work, we studied the impact of soil degradation on the richness and diversity of communities of soil fungi, including three different degrees of degradation in Germany and Panama. Soil fungi were isolated monthly using the soil-sprinkling method for 8 months in Germany and 3 months in Panama, and characterized by morphological and molecular data. Soil physico-chemical properties were measured and correlated with the observed values of fungal diversity. We isolated a total of 71 fungal species, 47 from Germany, and 32 from Panama. Soil properties were not associated with fungal richness, diversity, or composition in soils, with the exception of soil compaction in Germany. The geographic location was a strong determinant of the soil fungal species composition although in both countries there was dominance by members of the orders Eurotiales and Hypocreales. In conclusion, the results of this work do not show any evident influence of soil degradation on communities of soil fungi in Germany or Panama.
An updated inventory of the Bromeliaceae for Costa Rica is presented including citations of representative specimens for each species. The family comprises 18 genera and 198 species in Costa Rica, 32 species being endemic to the country. Additional 36 species are endemic to Costa Rica and Panama. Only 4 of the 8 bromeliad subfamilies occur in Costa Rica, with a strong predominance of Tillandsioideae (7 genera/150 spp.; 75.7% of all bromeliad species in Costa Rica). 124 species (62.6%) grow exclusively epiphytic, additional 59 spp. (29.8%) are facultative epiphytes. The most diverse genus is Werauhia, with 59 species (29.8% of the Costa Rican bromeliad flora), followed by Tillandsia with 40 species (20.2%) and Guzmania with 28 spp. (8.6%).
Sponges play a key role in Antarctic marine benthic community structure and dynamics and are often a dominant component of many Southern Ocean benthic communities. Understanding the drivers of sponge distribution in Antarctica enables us to understand many of general benthic biodiversity patterns in the region. The sponges of the Antarctic and neighbouring oceanographic regions were assessed for species richness and biogeographic patterns using over 8,800 distribution records. Species-rich regions include the Antarctic Peninsula, South Shetland Islands, South Georgia, Eastern Weddell Sea, Kerguelen Plateau, Falkland Islands and north New Zealand. Sampling intensity varied greatly within the study area, with sampling hotspots found at the Antarctic Peninsula, South Georgia, north New Zealand and Tierra del Fuego, with limited sampling in the Bellingshausen and Amundsen seas in the Southern Ocean. In contrast to previous studies we found that eurybathy and circumpolar distributions are important but not dominant characteristics in Antarctic sponges. Overall Antarctic sponge species endemism is ~43%, with a higher level for the class Hexactinellida (68%). Endemism levels are lower than previous estimates, but still indicate the importance of the Polar Front in isolating the Southern Ocean fauna. Nineteen distinct sponge distribution patterns were found, ranging from regional endemics to cosmopolitan species. A single, distinct Antarctic demosponge fauna is found to encompass all areas within the Polar Front, and the sub-Antarctic regions of the Kerguelen Plateau and Macquarie Island. Biogeographical analyses indicate stronger faunal links between Antarctica and South America, with little evidence of links between Antarctica and South Africa, Southern Australia or New Zealand. We conclude that the biogeographic and species distribution patterns observed are largely driven by the Antarctic Circumpolar Current and the timing of past continent connectivity.
Reproductive isolation among locally adapted populations may arise when immigrants from foreign habitats are selected against via natural or (inter-)sexual selection (female mate choice). We asked whether also intrasexual selection through male-male competition could promote reproductive isolation among populations of poeciliid fishes that are locally adapted to extreme environmental conditions [i.e., darkness in caves and/or toxic hydrogen sulphide (H(2)S)]. We found strongly reduced aggressiveness in extremophile P. oecilia mexicana, and darkness was the best predictor for the evolutionary reduction of aggressiveness, especially when combined with presence of H(2)S. We demonstrate that reduced aggression directly translates into migrant males being inferior when paired with males from non-sulphidic surface habitats. By contrast, the phylogenetically old sulphur endemic P. sulphuraria from another sulphide spring area showed no overall reduced aggressiveness, possibly indicating evolved mechanisms to better cope with H(2)S.
Reporting on the first locality in Bocas del Toro province of extreme western Panama, we extend the known geographic distribution of the lizard Leposoma rugiceps (Cope, 1869) about 275 km westwards from the nearest locality in Panamá province. We provide photos of Panamanian specimens, comment on their morphology, and map the distribution of this binational endemism.
We report new localities for the lizard Anolis salvini Boulenger, 1885, along the Pacific slopes of the Cordillera Central in Chiriquí province and the Comarca Ngöbe-Buglé of western Panama. These records extend the known geographic distribution of this species about 70 km eastwards. They also extend the known vertical distribution approximately 70 m uphill. Additionally, we provide the first record for the Caribbean slopes, an updated distribution map, photos of specimens from different localities, an analysis of a distress call, and comments on the morphology of this species.
We report on new localities for Anolis gruuo Köhler, Ponce, Sunyer and Batista, 2007 along the Serranía de Tabasará in the Comarca Ngöbe-Buglé and Veraguas province of western Panama. These records extend the known geographic distribution of this lizard about 80 km eastward, and the known vertical distribution approximately 40 m lower and 630 m higher. We provide photos of specimens from different localities and comment on their morphology. Only the easternmost populations of this Panamanian endemic live inside a protected area.
In China and other countries of East Asia, so-called Ling-zhi or Reishi mushrooms are used in traditional medicine since several centuries. Although the common practice to apply the originally European name ‘Ganoderma lucidum’ to these fungi has been questioned by several taxonomists, this is still generally done in recent publications and with commercially cultivated strains. In the present study, two commercially sold strains of ‘G. lucidum’, M9720 and M9724 from the company Mycelia bvba (Belgium), are compared for their fruiting body (basidiocarp) morphology combined with molecular phylogenetic analyses, and for their secondary metabolite profile employing an ultra-performance liquid chromatography–electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (UPLC–ESIMS) in combination with a high resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (HR-ESI-MS). According to basidiocarp morphology, the strain M9720 was identified as G. lucidum s.str. whereas M9724 was determined as Ganoderma lingzhi. In molecular phylogenetic analyses, the M9720 ITS and beta-tubulin sequences grouped with sequences of G. lucidum s.str. from Europe whereas those from M9724 clustered with sequences of G. lingzhi from East Asia. We show that an ethanol extract of ground basidiocarps from G. lucidum (M9720) contains much less triterpenic acids than found in the extract of G. lingzhi (M9724). The high amount of triterpenic acids accounts for the bitter taste of the basidiocarps of G. lingzhi (M9724) and of its ethanol extract. Apparently, triterpenic acids of G. lucidum s.str. are analyzed here for the first time. These results demonstrate the importance of taxonomy for commercial use of fungi.
The ancestors to the Australian marsupials entered Australia around 60 (54-72) million years ago from Antarctica, and radiated into the four living orders Peramelemorphia, Dasyuromorphia, Diprotodontia and Notoryctemorphia. The relationship between the four Australian marsupial orders has been a long-standing question, because different phylogenetic studies were not able to consistently reconstruct the same topology. Initial in silico analysis of the Tasmanian devil genome and experimental screening in the seven marsupial orders revealed 20 informative transposable element insertions for resolving the inter- and intraordinal relationships of Australian and South American orders. However, the retrotransposon insertions support three conflicting topologies regarding Peramelemorphia, Dasyuromorphia and Notoryctemorphia, indicating that the split between the three orders may be best understood as a network. This finding is supported by a phylogenetic re-analysis of nuclear gene sequences, using a consensus network approach that allows depicting hidden phylogenetic conflict, otherwise lost when forcing the data into a bifurcating tree. The consensus network analysis agrees with the transposable element analysis in that all possible topologies regarding Peramelemorphia, Dasyuromorphia, and Notoryctemorphia in a rooted four-taxon topology are equally well supported. In addition, retrotransposon insertion data supports the South American order Didelphimorphia being the sistergroup to all other living marsupial orders. The four Australian orders originated within three million years at the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary. The rapid divergences left conflicting phylogenetic information in the genome possibly generated by incomplete lineage sorting or introgressive hybridisation, leaving the relationship among Australian marsupial orders unresolvable as a bifurcating process million years later.
Scholars have debated the taxonomic identity of isolated primate teeth from the Asian Pleistocene for over a century, which is complicated by morphological and metric convergence between orangutan (Pongo) and hominin (Homo) molariform teeth. Like Homo erectus, Pongo once showed considerable dental variation and a wide distribution throughout mainland and insular Asia. In order to clarify the utility of isolated dental remains to document the presence of hominins during Asian prehistory, we examined enamel thickness, enamel-dentine junction shape, and crown development in 33 molars from G. H. R. von Koenigswald's Chinese Apothecary collection (11 Sinanthropus officinalis [= Homo erectus], 21 “Hemanthropus peii,” and 1 “Hemanthropus peii” or Pongo) and 7 molars from Sangiran dome (either Homo erectus or Pongo). All fossil teeth were imaged with non-destructive conventional and/or synchrotron micro-computed tomography. These were compared to H. erectus teeth from Zhoukoudian, Sangiran and Trinil, and a large comparative sample of fossil Pongo, recent Pongo, and recent human teeth. We find that Homo and Pongo molars overlap substantially in relative enamel thickness; molar enamel-dentine junction shape is more distinctive, with Pongo showing relatively shorter dentine horns and wider crowns than Homo. Long-period line periodicity values are significantly greater in Pongo than in H. erectus, leading to longer crown formation times in the former. Most of the sample originally assigned to S. officinalis and H. erectus shows greater affinity to Pongo than to the hominin comparative sample. Moreover, enamel thickness, enamel-dentine junction shape, and a long-period line periodicity value in the “Hemanthropus peii” sample are indistinguishable from fossil Pongo. These results underscore the need for additional recovery and study of associated dentitions prior to erecting new taxa from isolated teeth.
Mutations are the ultimate basis of evolution, yet their occurrence rate is known only for few species. We directly estimated the spontaneous mutation rate and the mutational spectrum in the nonbiting midge C. riparius with a new approach. Individuals from ten mutation accumulation lines over five generations were deep genome sequenced to count de novo mutations that were not present in a pool of F1 individuals, representing parental genotypes. We identified 51 new single site mutations of which 25 were insertions or deletions and 26 single nucleotide mutations. This shift in the mutational spectrum compared to other organisms was explained by the high A/T content of the species. We estimated a haploid mutation rate of 2.1 × 10−9 (95% confidence interval: 1.4 × 10−9 – 3.1 × 10-9) that is in the range of recent estimates for other insects and supports the drift barrier hypothesis. We show that accurate mutation rate estimation from a high number of observed mutations is feasible with moderate effort even for nonmodel species.
Mutations are the ultimate basis of evolution, yet their occurrence rate is known only for few species. We directly estimated the spontaneous mutation rate and the mutational spectrum in the non-biting midge C. riparius with a new approach. Individuals from ten mutation accumulation lines over five generations were deep genome sequenced to count de novo mutations (DNMs) that were not present in a pool of F1 individuals, representing parental genotypes. We identified 51 new single site mutations of which 25 were insertions or deletions and 26 single point mutations. This shift in the mutational spectrum compared to other organisms was explained by the high A/T content of the species. We estimated a haploid mutation rate of 2.1 x 10−9 (95% confidence interval: 1.4 x 10−9 – 3.1 x 10−9) which is in the range of recent estimates for other insects and supports the drift barrier hypothesis. We show that accurate mutation rate estimation from a high number of observed mutations is feasible with moderate effort even for non-model species.
Global climate change is one of the major driving forces for adaptive shifts in migration and breeding phenology and possibly impacts demographic changes if a species fails to adapt sufficiently. In Western Europe, pied flycatchers (Ficedula hypoleuca) have insufficiently adapted their breeding phenology to the ongoing advance of food peaks within their breeding area and consequently suffered local population declines. We address the question whether this population decline led to a loss of genetic variation, using two neutral marker sets (mitochondrial control region and microsatellites), and one potentially selectively non-neutral marker (avian Clock gene). We report temporal changes in genetic diversity in extant populations and biological archives over more than a century, using samples from sites differing in the extent of climate change. Comparing genetic differentiation over this period revealed that only the recent Dutch population, which underwent population declines, showed slightly lower genetic variation than the historic Dutch population. As that loss of variation was only moderate and not observed in all markers, current gene flow across Western and Central European populations might have compensated local loss of variation over the last decades. A comparison of genetic differentiation in neutral loci versus the Clock gene locus provided evidence for stabilizing selection. Furthermore, in all genetic markers, we found a greater genetic differentiation in space than in time. This pattern suggests that local adaptation or historic processes might have a stronger effect on the population structure and genetic variation in the pied flycatcher than recent global climate changes.
Consistent individual differences in behaviour (animal personality) are widespread throughout the Animal Kingdom. This includes variation in risk-taking versus risk-averse behavioural tendencies. Variation in several personality dimensions is associated with distinct fitness consequences and thus, may become a target of natural and/or sexual selection. However, the link between animal personality and mate choice—as a major component of sexual selection—remains understudied. We asked (1) whether females and males of the livebearing fish Poecilia mexicana prefer risk-taking mating partners (directional mating preference), (2) or if their preferences are dependent on the choosing individual’s own personality type (assortative mating). We characterized each test subject for its risk-taking behaviour, assessed as the time to emerge from shelter and enter an unknown area. In dichotomous association preference tests, we offered two potential mating partners that differed in risk-taking behaviour but were matched for other phenotypic traits (body size, shape, and colouration). Females, but not males, exhibited a strong directional preference for risk-taking over risk-averse mating partners. At the same time, the strength of females’ preferences correlated positively with their own risk-taking scores. Our study is the first to demonstrate that a strong overall preference for risk-taking mating partners does not preclude effects of choosing individuals’ own personality type on (subtle) individual variation in mating preferences. More generally, two different preferences functions appear to interact to determine the outcome of individual mate choice decisions.
New geochemical data from the Malawi Rift (Chiwondo Beds, Karonga Basin) fill a major spatial gap in our knowledge of hominin adaptations on a continental scale. Oxygen (δ18O), carbon (δ13C), and clumped (Δ47) isotope data on paleosols, hominins, and selected fauna elucidate an unexpected diversity in the Pleistocene hominin diet in the various habitats of the East African Rift System (EARS). Food sources of early Homo and Paranthropus thriving in relatively cool and wet wooded savanna ecosystems along the western shore of paleolake Malawi contained a large fraction of C3 plant material. Complementary water consumption reconstructions suggest that ca. 2.4 Ma, early Homo (Homo rudolfensis) and Paranthropus (Paranthropus boisei) remained rather stationary near freshwater sources along the lake margins. Time-equivalent Paranthropus aethiopicus from the Eastern Rift further north in the EARS consumed a higher fraction of C4 resources, an adaptation that grew more pronounced with increasing openness of the savanna setting after 2 Ma, while Homo maintained a high versatility. However, southern African Paranthropus robustus had, similar to the Malawi Rift individuals, C3-dominated feeding strategies throughout the Early Pleistocene. Collectively, the stable isotope and faunal data presented here document that early Homo and Paranthropus were dietary opportunists and able to cope with a wide range of paleohabitats, which clearly demonstrates their high behavioral flexibility in the African Early Pleistocene.
Neanderthal diet has been on the spotlight of paleoanthropological research for many years. The majority of studies that tried to reconstruct the diet of Neanderthals were based on the analysis of zooarchaeological remains, stable isotopes, dental calculus and dental microwear patterns. In the past few years, there have been a few studies that linked dental macrowear patterns of Neanderthals and modern humans to diet and cultural habits. However, they mostly focused on maxillary molars. Although mandibular molars have been widely used in microwear dietary research, little is known about their usage at the macroscopic scale to detect information about human subsistence strategies. In this study, we compare the macrowear patterns of Neanderthal (NEA), fossil Homo sapiens (FHS), modern hunter-gatherers (MHG), pastoralists, early farmers and Australian Aborigines from Yuendumu mandibular molars in order to assess their utility in collecting any possible information about dietary and cultural habits among diverse human groups. We use the occlusal fingerprint analysis method, a quantitative digital approach that has been successfully employed to reconstruct the diet of living non-human primates and past human populations. Our results show macrowear pattern differences between meat-eater MHG and EF groups. Moreover, while we did not find eco-geographical differences in the macrowear patterns of the fossil sample, we found statistically significant differences between NEA and FHS inhabiting steppe/coniferous forest. This latter result could be associated with the use of distinct technological complexes in these two species, which ultimately could have allowed modern humans to exploit natural resources in a different way compared to NEA.
The oomycete genus Ectrogella currently comprises a rather heterogeneous group of obligate endoparasitoids, mostly of diatoms and algae. Despite their widespread occurrence, little is known regarding the phylogenetic affinities of these bizarre organisms. Traditionally, the genus was included within the Saprolegniales, based on zoospore diplanetism and a saprolegnia/achlya-like zoospore discharge. The genus has undergone multiple re-definitions in the past, and has often been used largely indiscriminately for oomycetes forming sausage-like thalli in diatoms. While the phylogenetic affinity of the polyphyletic genus Olpidiopsis has recently been partially resolved, taxonomic placement of the genus Ectrogella remained unresolved, as no sequence data were available for species of this genus. In this study, we report the phylogenetic placement of Ectrogella bacillariacearum infecting the freshwater diatom Nitzschia sigmoidea. The phylogenetic reconstruction shows that Ectrogella bacillariacearum is grouped among the early diverging lineages of the Saprolegniomycetes with high support, and is unrelated to the monophyletic diatom-infecting olpidiopsis-like species. As these species are neither related to Ectrogella, nor to the early diverging lineages of Olpidiopsis s. str. and Miracula, they are placed in a new genus, Diatomophthora, in the present study.
Background: Approximately 90% of German surface waters do not meet the objectives of the European Water Framework Directive (EU-WFD). This is primarily due to deficits in water body structure and biological quality components, which in turn are negatively affected by chemical pollution. In this context, hydromorphological restoration measures have often been conducted to improve habitat and species diversity and, therefore, the ecological status of water bodies. However, habitat improvement is not necessarily accompanied by biota enhancement and thus by the improvement of the ecological status of rivers. To prioritize water management measures, decision criteria for the water management practice are necessary, which enable the prognosis, whether chemical pollution and its resulting effects or other factors, such as structural deficits of the water bodies, are the main cause for the failure to meet the objective of a good ecological status.
Results: To address this need, we applied the freshwater mudsnail Potamopyrgus antipodarum and the amphipod Gammarus fossarum in active monitoring campaigns and in laboratory experiments with combined water/sediment samples and analyzed water and sediment samples with in vitro assays quarterly over the course of 1 year to provide evidence and guideline to assess if chemical contamination is a relevant stress factor for the aquatic biodiversity in rivers of the Nidda catchment (Hessen, Germany). On the basis of these results, an ecotoxicological, WFD–compliant assessment system was developed which, in comparison with the ecological status classes of the EU-WFD, permits the identification of the probable causes for the failure to meet the objectives of the EU-WFD. From these findings, recommendations for action were derived for the implementation of priority measures in water management practice. For the rivers Nidda, Usa, and Horloff, we identified a need for action to improve water and sediment quality at all investigated sampling sites except for the reference sites in the headwaters. The ecotoxicological assessment system also highlighted that hydromorphological restoration measures on their own will not lead to a good ecological status of rivers, as long as water and sediment quality are deficient.
Conclusion: Hydromorphological restoration measures should be performed in conjunction with measures to reduce chemical contamination to achieve a good ecological status of the rivers Nidda, Usa, and Horloff.
Primary biosynthetic enzymes involved in the synthesis of lichen polyphenolic compounds depsides and depsidones are non-reducing polyketide synthases (NR-PKSs), and cytochrome P450s. However, for most depsides and depsidones the corresponding PKSs are unknown. Additionally, in non-lichenized fungi specific fatty acid synthases (FASs) provide starters to the PKSs. Yet, the presence of such FASs in lichenized fungi remains to be investigated. Here we implement comparative genomics and metatranscriptomics to identify the most likely PKS and FASs for olivetoric acid and physodic acid biosynthesis, the primary depside and depsidone defining the two chemotypes of the lichen Pseudevernia furfuracea. We propose that the gene cluster PF33-1_006185, found in both chemotypes, is the most likely candidate for the olivetoric acid and physodic acid biosynthesis. This is the first study to identify the gene cluster and the FAS likely responsible for olivetoric acid and physodic acid biosynthesis in a lichenized fungus. Our findings suggest that gene regulation and other epigenetic factors determine whether the mycobiont produces the depside or the depsidone, providing the first direct indication that chemotype diversity in lichens can arise through regulatory and not only through genetic diversity. Combining these results and existing literature, we propose a detailed scheme for depside/depsidone synthesis.
Orangutans (Pongo) are the only great ape genus with a substantial Pleistocene and Holocene fossil record, demonstrating a much larger geographic range than extant populations. In addition to having an extensive fossil record, Pongo shows several convergent morphological similarities with Homo, including a trend of dental reduction during the past million years. While studies have documented variation in dental tissue proportions among species of Homo, little is known about variation in enamel thickness within fossil orangutans. Here we assess dental tissue proportions, including conventional enamel thickness indices, in a large sample of fossil orangutan postcanine teeth from mainland Asia and Indonesia. We find few differences between regions, except for significantly lower average enamel thickness (AET) values in Indonesian mandibular first molars. Differences between fossil and extant orangutans are more marked, with fossil Pongo showing higher AET in most postcanine teeth. These differences are significant for maxillary and mandibular first molars. Fossil orangutans show higher AET than extant Pongo due to greater enamel cap areas, which exceed increases in enamel-dentine junction length (due to geometric scaling of areas and lengths for the AET index calculation). We also find greater dentine areas in fossil orangutans, but relative enamel thickness indices do not differ between fossil and extant taxa. When changes in dental tissue proportions between fossil and extant orangutans are compared with fossil and recent Homo sapiens, Pongo appears to show isometric reduction in enamel and dentine, while crown reduction in H. sapiens appears to be due to preferential loss of dentine. Disparate selective pressures or developmental constraints may underlie these patterns. Finally, the finding of moderately thick molar enamel in fossil orangutans may represent an additional convergent dental similarity with Homo erectus, complicating attempts to distinguish these taxa in mixed Asian faunas.
Significance
Identifying the earliest members of the genus Homo is crucial for understanding when and where selective pressures resulted in its emergence from a Plio-Pleistocene hominin taxon. Our revision of a large part of the dental fossil record from southern Africa provides evidence suggesting a paucity of Homo remains and indicates increased levels of dental variation in australopith taxa. Results of the Ba/Ca, Sr/Ca, and elemental mapping of enamel and dentine also indicate that some of the purported Homo specimens show a paleoecological signal similar to that of the australopiths.
Abstract
The origins of Homo, as well as the diversity and biogeographic distribution of early Homo species, remain critical outstanding issues in paleoanthropology. Debates about the recognition of early Homo, first appearance dates, and taxonomic diversity within Homo are particularly important for determining the role that southern African taxa may have played in the origins of the genus. The correct identification of Homo remains also has implications for reconstructing phylogenetic relationships between species of Australopithecus and Paranthropus, and the links between early Homo species and Homo erectus. We use microcomputed tomography and landmark-free deformation-based three-dimensional geometric morphometrics to extract taxonomically informative data from the internal structure of postcanine teeth attributed to Early Pleistocene Homo in the southern African hominin-bearing sites of Sterkfontein, Swartkrans, Drimolen, and Kromdraai B. Our results indicate that, from our sample of 23 specimens, only 4 are unambiguously attributed to Homo, 3 of them coming from Swartkrans member 1 (SK 27, SK 847, and SKX 21204) and 1 from Sterkfontein (Sts 9). Three other specimens from Sterkfontein (StW 80 and 81, SE 1508, and StW 669) approximate the Homo condition in terms of overall enamel–dentine junction shape, but retain Australopithecus-like dental traits, and their generic status remains unclear. The other specimens, including SK 15, present a dominant australopith dental signature. In light of these results, previous dietary and ecological interpretations can be reevaluated, showing that the geochemical signal of one tooth from Kromdraai (KB 5223) and two from Swartkrans (SK 96 and SKX 268) is consistent with that of australopiths.
Determining the age of juvenile blow flies is one of the key tasks of forensic entomology when providing evidence for the minimum post mortem interval. While the age determination of blow fly larvae is well established using morphological parameters, the current study focuses on molecular methods for estimating the age of blow flies during the metamorphosis in the pupal stage, which lasts about half the total juvenile development. It has already been demonstrated in several studies that the intraspecific variance in expression of so far used genes in blow flies is often too high to assign a certain expression level to a distinct age, leading to an inaccurate prediction. To overcome this problem, we previously identified new markers, which show a very sharp age dependent expression course during pupal development of the forensically-important blow fly Calliphora vicina Robineau–Desvoidy 1830 (Diptera: Calliphoridae) by analyzing massive parallel sequencing (MPS) generated transcriptome data. We initially designed and validated two quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assays for each of 15 defined pupal ages representing a daily progress during the total pupal development if grown at 17 °C. We also investigated whether the performance of these assays is affected by the ambient temperature, when rearing pupae of C. vicina at three different constant temperatures—namely 17 °C, 20 °C and 25 °C. A temperature dependency of the performance could not be observed, except for one marker. Hence, for each of the defined development landmarks, we can present gene expression profiles of one to two markers defining the mentioned progress in development.
Chemical pollution caused by synthetic organic chemicals at low concentrations in the environment poses a growing threat to the ecological status of aquatic ecosystems. These chemicals are regularly released into surface waters through both treated and untreated effluents from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), agricultural runoff, and industrial discharges. Consequently, they accumulate in surface waters, distribute amongst environmental compartments according to their physicochemical properties, and cause adverse effects on aquatic organisms. Unfortunately, there is a lack of data regarding the occurrence of synthetic organic chemicals, henceforth micropollutants, in South American freshwater ecosystems, especially in Chile.
To address this research gap, we present a comprehensive dataset comprising concentrations of 153 emerging chemicals, including pesticides, pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs), surfactants, and industrial chemicals. These chemicals were found to co-occur in surface waters within Central Chile, specifically in the River Aconcagua Basin. Our sampling strategy involved collecting surface water samples from streams and rivers with diverse land uses, such as agriculture, urban areas, and natural reserves. For sample extraction, we employed an on-site large-volume solid phase extraction (LVSPE) device. The resulting environmental extracts were then subjected to wide-scope chemical target screening using gas chromatography and liquid chromatography high-resolution mass spectrometry (GC- and LCsingle bondHRMS).
The dataset we present holds significant value in assessing the chemical status of water bodies. It enables comparative analysis of pollution fingerprints associated with emerging chemicals across different freshwater systems. Moreover, the data can be reused for environmental risk assessment studies. Its utilisation will contribute to a better understanding of the impact and extent of chemical pollution in aquatic ecosystems, facilitating the development of effective mitigation strategies.
The data provided is related to the article "Phylogenetic analyses of gazelles reveal repeated transitions of key ecological traits and provide novel insights into the origin of the genus Gazella". The data is based on 48 tissue samples of all nine extant species of the genus Gazella, namely Gazella gazella, Gazella arabica, Gazella bennettii, Gazella cuvieri, Gazella dorcas, Gazella leptoceros, Gazella marica, Gazella spekei, and Gazella subgutturosa and four related taxa (Saiga tatarica, Antidorcas marsupialis, Antilope cervicapra and Eudorcas rufifrons). It comprises alignments of sequences of a cytochrome b data set and of six nuclear intron markers. For the latter new primers were designed based on cattle and sheep genomes. Based on these alignments phylogenetic trees were inferred using Bayesian Inference and Maximum Likelihood methods. Furthermore, ancestral character states (inferred with BayesTraits 1.0) and ancestral ranges based on a Dispersal-Extinction-Cladogenesis model were estimated and results׳ files were stored within this article.
The gecko genus Phyllopezus is distributed mainly along South America’s "Dry Diagonal" (Caatinga, Cerrado, and Chaco). The genus has been the subject of recent taxonomic analyses and includes four described species and seven candidate species referred to here as Phyllopezus pollicaris sensu lato. In Paraguay, Phyllopezus is known from the Chaco and Cerrado where it is abundant, and also from a small isolated population from a rocky hill formation named "Cordillera de Los Altos" (Los Altos mountain range). Here we analyzed genetic samples from across its range, including new samples from Paraguay, using DNA barcoding analysis of the mitochondrial 16S gene and phylogenetic analyses using both Bayesian and Maximum Likelihood methods. We found genetic and morphological differences among geckos from the Los Altos mountain range and the remaining Phyllopezus populations. Using both molecular and morphological evidence we describe a new Phyllopezus species, sister to P. przewalskii. Genetic differentiation among described and putative Phyllopezus species is greater than their morphological differences, which likely accounts for these cryptic taxa remaining undescribed for so long.
Correction to: The low-copy nuclear gene Agt1 as a novel DNA barcoding marker for Bromeliaceae
(2020)
Correction to: BMC Plant Biol 20, 111 (2020)
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12870-020-2326-5
In the original publication [1] an incorrect version of Additional file 1 was used during typesetting. The incorrect and correct versions of Additional file 1 are available in this correction article. The original article has been updated. The publisher apologizes to the authors and readers for the inconvenience.
The existence of individual variation in males' motivation to mate remains a conundrum as directional selection should favour high mating frequencies. Balancing selection resulting from (context-dependent) female mate choice could contribute to the maintenance of this behavioural polymorphism. In dichotomous choice tests, mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki) females preferred virtual males showing intermediate mating frequencies, reflecting females' tendencies to avoid harassment by highly sexually active males. When tested in the presence of a female shoal—which protects females from male harassment—focal females showed significantly stronger preferences for high sexual activity. A trade-off between (indirect) benefits and (direct) costs of mating with sexually active males probably explains context-dependent female mate choice, as costs depend on the social environment in which females choose their mates. No preference was observed when we tested virgin females, suggesting that the behavioural pattern described here is part of the learned behavioural repertoire of G. holbrooki females.
The ongoing biodiversity crisis becomes evident in the widely observed decline in abundance and diversity of species, profound changes in community structure, and shifts in species’ phenology. Insects are among the most affected groups, with documented decreases in abundance up to 76% in the last 25–30 years in some terrestrial ecosystems. Identifying the underlying drivers is a major obstacle as most ecosystems are affected by multiple stressors simultaneously and in situ measurements of environmental variables are often missing. In our study, we investigated a headwater stream belonging to the most common stream type in Germany located in a nature reserve with no major anthropogenic impacts except climate change. We used the most comprehensive quantitative long‐term data set on aquatic insects available, which includes weekly measurements of species‐level insect abundance, daily water temperature and stream discharge as well as measurements of additional physicochemical variables for a 42‐year period (1969–2010). Overall, water temperature increased by 1.88 °C and discharge patterns changed significantly. These changes were accompanied by an 81.6% decline in insect abundance, but an increase in richness (+8.5%), Shannon diversity (+22.7%), evenness (+22.4%), and interannual turnover (+34%). Moreover, the community's trophic structure and phenology changed: the duration of emergence increased by 15.2 days, whereas the peak of emergence moved 13.4 days earlier. Additionally, we observed short‐term fluctuations (<5 years) in almost all metrics as well as complex and nonlinear responses of the community toward climate change that would have been missed by simply using snapshot data or shorter time series. Our results indicate that climate change has already altered biotic communities severely even in protected areas, where no other interacting stressors (pollution, habitat fragmentation, etc.) are present. This is a striking example of the scientific value of comprehensive long‐term data in capturing the complex responses of communities toward climate change.
With the change to one scientific name for pleomorphic fungi, generic names typified by sexual and asexual morphs have been evaluated to recommend which name to use when two names represent the same genus and thus compete for use. In this paper, generic names in Pucciniomycotina and Ustilaginomycotina are evaluated based on their type species to determine which names are synonyms. Twenty-one sets of sexually and asexually typified names in Pucciniomycotina and eight sets in Ustilaginomycotina were determined to be congeneric and compete for use. Recommendations are made as to which generic name to use. In most cases the principle of priority is followed. However, eight generic names in the Pucciniomycotina, and none in Ustilaginomycotina, are recommended for protection: Classicula over Naiadella, Gymnosporangium over Roestelia, Helicobasidium over Thanatophytum and Tuberculina, Melampsorella over Peridermium, Milesina over Milesia, Phragmidium over Aregma, Sporobolomyces over Blastoderma and Rhodomyces, and Uromyces over Uredo. In addition, eight new combinations are made: Blastospora juruensis, B. subneurophyla, Cronartium bethelii, C. kurilense, C. sahoanum, C. yamabense, Milesina polypodii, and Prospodium crusculum combs. nov.