Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The evolution of male-biased sexual size dimorphism is associated with increased body size plasticity in males

1. Sexual size dimorphism (SSD) can vary drastically across environments, demonstrating pronounced sex-specific plasticity. In insects, females are usually the larger and more plastic sex. However, the shortage of taxa with male-biased SSD hampers the assessment of whether the greater plasticity in females is driven by selection on size or represents an effect of the female reproductive role. Here, we specifically address the role of sex-specific plasticity of body size in the evolution of SSD reversals to disentangle sex and size effects. 2. We first investigate sex-specific body size plasticity in Sepsis punctum and Sepsis neocynipsea as two independent cases of intraspecific SSD reversals in sepsid flies. In both species, directional variation in SSD between populations is driven by stronger sexual selection on male size. Using controlled laboratory breeding, we find evidence for sex-specific plasticity and increased condition dependence of male size in populations with male-biased SSD, but not of female size in populations with female-biased SSD. 3. To extend the comparative scope, we next estimate sex-specific body size plasticity in eight additional fly species that differ in the direction of SSD under laboratory conditions. In all species with male-biased SSD we find males to be the more plastic sex, while this was only rarely the case in species with female-biased SSD, thus suggesting a more general trend in Diptera. 4. To examine the generality of this pattern in holometabolous insects, we combine our data with data from the literature in a meta-analysis. Again, male body size tends to be more plastic than female size when males are the larger sex, though female size is now also generally more plastic when females are larger. 5. Our findings indicate that primarily selection on size, rather than the reproductive role per se, drives the evolution of sex-specific body size plasticity. However, sepsid flies, and possibly Diptera in general, show a clear sexual asymmetry with greater male than female plasticity related to SSD, likely driven by strong sexual selection on males. Although further research controlling for phylogenetic and ecological confounding effects is needed, our findings are congruent with theory in suggesting that condition dependence plays a pivotal role in the evolution of sexual size dimorphism.
Perenniporiopsis, a New Polypore Genus Segregated from Perenniporia (Polyporales)

Abstract Perenniporiopsis gen. nov. is described to accommodate Perenniporiopsis minutissima spec. et comb. nov. Phylogenetic analyses based on two data sets, [ITS+n28S nrRNA] and [ITS, n28S, mtSSU, tef1], and using Maximum Parsimony, Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian inferences, showed that specimens of Perenniporia minutissima form a monophyletic well-supported clade within the core polyporoid clade, The new genus grouped with the Abundisporus, Perenniporiella and Perenniporia s.s. lineages, and is phylogenetically distinct from the Perenniporia s.s. lineage (100% BS, 99% MP, 1.00 BPP). Morphologically, the consistency of the basidiocarps, waxy when fresh, drying rigidly osseous, as well as the large basidiospores characterize this species and distinguish it from Perenniporia s.s. The species seems to be endemic to temperate east Asia, and is known from temperate Japan and China.
Data-driven brain-types and their cognitive consequences

The canonical approach to exploring brain-behaviour relationships is to group individuals according to a phenotype of interest, and then explore the neural correlates of this grouping. A limitation of this approach is that multiple aetiological pathways could result in a similar phenotype, so the role of any one brain mechanism may be substantially underestimated. Building on advances in network analysis, we used a data-driven community-clustering algorithm to identify robust subgroups based on white-matter microstructure in childhood and adolescence (total N=313, mean age: 11.24 years). The algorithm indicated the presence of two equal-size groups that show a critical difference in FA of the left and right cingulum. These different ‘brain types’ had profoundly different cognitive abilities with higher performance in the higher FA group. Further, a connectomics analysis indicated reduced structural connectivity in the low FA subgroup that was strongly related to reduced functional activation of the default mode network. Graphical abstract
Historical biogeography sets the foundation for contemporary conservation of martens (genus Martes) in northwestern North America

Effective conservation of insular populations requires careful consideration of biogeography, including colonization histories and patterns of endemism. Across the Pacific Northwest of North America, Pacific martens (Martes caurina) and American pine martens (Martes americana) are parapatric sister species with distinctive postglacial histories. Using mitochondrial DNA and 12 nuclear microsatellite loci, we examine processes of island colonization and anthropogenic introductions across 25 populations of martens. Along the North Pacific Coast (NPC), M. caurina is now found on only 2 islands, whereas M. americana occurs on mainland Alaska and British Columbia and multiple associated islands. Island populations of M. caurina have a longer history of isolation reflected in divergent haplotypes, private microsatellite alleles, and relatively low within-population diversity. In contrast, insular M. americana have lower among-population divergence and higher metrics of within-population diversity. On some NPC islands, introductions of M. americana may be related to decline of M. caurina. Long-term persistence of these species likely has been influenced by anthropogenic manipulations, including wildlife translocations and industrial-scale deforestation, yet, the distinctive histories of these martens have not been incorporated into natural resource policies.
The translocation and distribution of CeO2 nanoparticles in plants (Soybeans, Chili, Eggplant and Tomato)

Intensive production of CeO2 nanoparticles (NPs) would lead to their release into the environment. While their use in commercial goods is constantly increasing, location of NPs in plant is still poorly documented. In this study we determined the translocation of CeO2-NPs in four plants (Soybeans, Tomato, Chili and Eggplant) grown in natural conditions. The plants were digged out 1/4 roots into 2000 mg/L CeO2-NPs solution during the blossoming period. After being exposed for one month, the contents of Ce in plant tissues were measured by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). There was more Ce in the leaf of treated plants than in control plants. The contents of Ce in leaf tissues was different. This research offers vital information about the translocation and distribution of CeO2-NPs in higher plants.
DNA barcodes successfully delimit morphospecies in a superdiverse insect genus

Polypedilum Kieffer (Diptera: Chironomidae), with 520 currently known species worldwide, can be extremely difficult to identify species level based on the morphology. We used 3,670 cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) barcodes to explore the efficiency of the COI barcodes to differentiate between species in a superdiverse aquatic insect genus. The Barcode of Life Data System (BOLD) presented 286 BIN clusters in Polypedilum, representing 163 morphospecies, of which 93 were contributed from our laboratory. Molecular operational taxonomic units (OTUs) ranged from 158 to 345, based on Automatic Barcode Gap Discovery (ABGD), the Barcode Index Number (BIN), Bayesian Poisson tree processes (bPTP), generalized mixed Yule coalescent (GMYC), jMOTU, multi‐rate Poisson tree processes (mPTP), neighbor‐joining (NJ) tree and prethreshold clustering. In comparison, GMYC, bPTP, mPTP and BIN suggested more species than warranted by morphology, while ABGD, jMOTU, NJ, prethreshold clustering and ABGD yielded a conservative number of species when setting higher thresholds. Nine species complexes with deep intraspecific divergences indicated 18 potentially cryptic species, which require further taxonomic research including complete life histories and nuclear genetic data to be resolved. The discrimination of Polypedilum species by DNA barcodes proved to be successful in 94.4% of all studied morphological species.
A new species of Probreviceps (Amphibia: Anura) from the Eastern Arc Mountains, Tanzania

A new species of Probreviceps is described from the Ukaguru Mountains in Tanzania, and is distinguished morphologically by its pointed and ridged snout. The species also differs from other members of the genus in its call and mitochondrial DNA. An updated phylogeny of all known Tanzanian Probreviceps species and subspecies is presented, based on 12S and 16S rRNA mitochondrial sequences. An updated key of the species of Probreviceps is also given.
Toxicity Assessment of Bioluminescent Rapid Bioassays (Vibrio fischeri) on Selected DBPs

For the past 30 years more than 600 different disinfection by-products (DBPs) have been reported with many unknown ones yet to be discovered. Bioluminescence rapid toxicity tests are suitable toxicity screening for DBPs that caused adverse health effects. Previously, IC50 study on specific DBPs have not been conducted. This study aims to characteristically identify the sensitivity of bioluminescent rapid bioassays on selected DBPs (chloroacetic acid, trichloroacetic acid, bromoacetic acid and iodoacetic acid) by measuring IC50 of Vibrio fischeri on these compounds. IC50 are determined through luminescence that was measured using a Beckman Counter DTX 800 multimode detector. The 30-minute IC50 of selected DBPs are as followed: CAA (865.4 mg/L), TCAA (1119 mg/L), BAA (59.67 mg/L) and IAA (15.6 mg/L). It was found that Bioluminescent Rapid Bioassays based on Vibrio fischeri showed promising sensitivity on the selected DBPs and are suitable as a screening tools for DBPs.
Prodromus of a fern flora for Bolivia. I. General introduction and key to families

We introduce the concept of a prodromus for a flora to the ferns and lycophytes of Bolivia, describe the natural setting of Bolivia (topography, climate, vegetation), briefly review the history of pteridological knowledge in the country, present a taxonomic synopsis as well as a key to the fern and lycophyte families of Bolivia, and provide a list of all fern and lycophyte names with Bolivian type material. A new combination is proposed for Polyphlebium herzogii (Rosenst.) A.R. Sm. & Kessler.
Studies on the alkaloid contents of the bark of Cinchona found in Sri Lanka

Studies on Cinchona carried out in our laboratory indicated that the extraction of bark with benzene - ethanol (1 :1) mixture gave the highest yield of alkaloids. The optimum time of extraction required to obtain the maximum content of alkaloids was found to be 16 hours. The survey of existing Cinchona trees in the country indicated that quite a large number of trees are still existing in the jungles of the tea estates in a neglected state. The alkaloid contents of the samples collected from these plants varied very widely, the highest alkaloid contents were found in plants growing in high elevations. The two dimensional thin layer chromatographic technique devised in our laboratory was used to study the distribution of alkaloids in the bark samples.
Resilience of a peatland in Central Sumatra, Indonesia to past anthropogenic disturbance: Improving conservation and restoration designs using palaeoecology

Tropical peatlands, which provide important functions such as biodiversity provisioning and carbon (C) storage, are currently threatened by land‐use conversions. Thus, conservation and restoration efforts are needed to maintain their functions. Conservation concepts aiming to separate human from ecosystems are no longer conceivable. Therefore, understanding peatland resilience to human disturbance, that is the ability of peatland ecosystems to maintain their structure and function despite perturbations and to return to their predisturbance states, can assist with integrating human needs into conservation strategies and improving restoration effectiveness. Understanding ecosystem resilience is often impeded by a lack of long‐term data, which can be obtained from palaeoecological studies. Located close to the archaeological remains of the Malayu Empire, the Sungai Buluh peatland in Sumatra, Indonesia provides an opportunity to study the resilience of a tropical peatland to past human disturbance. We subjected a 250‐cm‐long peat core to palynological, charcoal and C content analyses to delineate the anthropogenic impact on the peatland and the ecosystem’s response. The results revealed that extensive human activities in Sungai Buluh such as logging, grazing/cut‐and‐carry, and wild‐harvesting started soon after humans occupied the vicinity of the peatland c. 1,000 cal yr bp. Even without fire use and cultivation, these activities were able to alter vegetation composition and decrease the peatland’s C sequestration capacity. Following site abandonment after the demise of the Malayu Empire at c. 600 cal yr bp, the palaeoecological record suggests that the Sungai Buluh peatland recovered in terms of both floristic composition and C sink function, with the latter recovering faster (c. 60 years) than the former (c. 170 years). Synthesis. The palaeoecological record from Sungai Buluh provides the first evidence of tropical peatland recovery following human disturbance, which can help improve present peatland conservation/restoration strategies. The design of peatland wise‐use strategies can mimic the “resilience‐friendly” human activities identified in this study. Consideration should also be given to selecting rapidly regenerating taxa for cost‐and‐effort‐efficient restoration strategies. Additionally, the 170‐year recovery time of the Sungai Buluh peatland suggests that the 60‐year timeframe currently allocated in most tropical peatland restoration projects may be insufficient.
ESCRT and autophagy cooperate to repair ESX-1-dependent damage to the Mycobacterium-containing vacuole

Phagocytes capture invader microbes within the bactericidal phagosome. Some pathogens subvert killing by damaging and escaping from this compartment. To prevent and fight bacterial escape, cells contain and repair the membrane damage, or finally eliminate the cytosolic escapees. All eukaryotic cells engage highly conserved mechanisms to ensure integrity of membranes in a multitude of physiological and pathological situations, including the Endosomal Sorting Complex Required for Transport (ESCRT) and autophagy machineries. In Dictyostelium discoideum, recruitment of the ESCRT-III protein Snf7/Chmp4/Vps32 and the ATPase Vps4 to sites of membrane repair relies on the ESCRT-I component Tsg101 and occurs in absence of Ca2+. The ESX-1 dependent membrane perforations produced by the pathogen Mycobacterium marinum separately engage both ESCRT and autophagy. In absence of Tsg101, M. marinum escapes earlier to the cytosol, where it is restricted by xenophagy. We propose that ESCRT has an evolutionary conserved function in containing intracellular pathogens in intact compartments.
Magnolias as urban trees – a preliminary evaluation of drought tolerance in seven magnolia species

Abstract Tree selection must ensure that trees are capable of thriving in the environment in which they are placed. Inappropriate species or trees of poor quality will never develop any substantial capacity for delivering ecosystem services. The aim of this study is to evaluate seven species of Magnolia for their drought tolerance by estimating their water potential at leaf turgor loss to help provide quantitative data for their capacity to tolerate dry urban sites. According to the results, Magnolia virginiana is ranked as the most drought-tolerant, while Magnolia x loebneri “Leonard Messel” is the most sensitive to drought. However, in comparison with other plant groups previously studied, magnolias have to be treated as drought sensitive. Consequently, magnolias used in this study should be used in garden and park environments, as their potential for use along streets can be limited by their vulnerability to drought. The turgor loss point methodology used in the study provides an efficient alternative to decades of observation, especially when new genotypes or underutilised trees are being evaluated. It is now possible to show the group’s general sensitivity to drought as well as quantifying individual species sensitivity to drought.
First record of a rare species, Polyasterias problematica (Prasinophyceae), in Balsfjord, northern Norway

Abstract Polyasterias problematica is a poorly investigated prasinophyte species, practically known only from a few, primarily historical studies. Fragmentary information on the species indicates that P. problematica is mainly distributed in the euphotic zone of the Canadian and Russian Arctic, Atlantic Canada, the mid-Atlantic and some European seas. Here, we present the first record of this species in the Balsfjord waters, northern Norway. A detailed morphological description, with line drawings and microscopy-based photographs, as well as information on its up-to-date geographical distribution and possible explanations for its extraordinary scarcity are provided.
NOVEL TOOLS FOR SIMULTANEOUS OPTOGENETIC MANIPULATION AND CALCIUM IMAGING IN THE ZEBRAFISH NERVOUS SYSTEM

The large number of neurons and neural interconnection makes the nervous system a highly dense and complex network. Understanding the functionality of such a network requires not only high-throughput recording of neural activities with cellular resolution but also a non-invasive and precisely defined interaction with the neurons. This work demonstrates two pivotal steps towards these aims: (i) Developing a fluorescence microscope based on Bessel light-sheet illumination to record neural activities by means of calcium imaging. Chapter II describes the successful development and construction of an in vivo light-sheet fluorescence microscope (in vivo LSFM) based on conventional digitally laser scanning light-sheet microscopy (DSLM) with interchangeable Gaussian and Bessel illumination modalities to compare the performance of both methods. The Bessel illumination modality in comparison to the Gaussian one reveals not only a two-fold improvement in axial resolution but also a reduction by the factor of 4 in the shadowing artifact and consequently, 35 times improvement in detecting the correct neural activities from the calcium signals. (ii) Providing a suitable transgenic zebrafish model for optogenetic manipulation; Optogenetics apply light to facilitate the interaction with a genetically-engineered cell and/or populations of cells. Chapter III describes the establishment of a transgenic zebrafish expressing a red-shifted channelrhodopsin, Chlamydomonas channelrhodopsin1 fused to Volvox channelrhodopsin1 (C1V1), under the elavl3 promotor making almost the entire nervous system of larval zebrafish accessible for optical manipulation. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of a transgenic zebrafish with C1V1 pan-neuronal expression. The establishment of the stable transgenic line is in progress. In future, crossing this line with an already established line expressing a calcium indicator protein will provide the essential animal model for simultaneous optogenetic manipulation and high-fidelity neural activity recording in the intact nervous system.
Effect of Human-Induced Environmental Changes on Bird Diversity and Abundance in Natural Wetlands of Southwest Ethiopia

Abstract. The diversity and abundance of wetland birds have been threatened by increasing anthropogenic activities during recent decades. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of human-induced disturbance on bird species richness and abundance of natural wetlands in southwest Ethiopia. Bird surveys were performed at 56 locations during both the wet and dry seasons in 2010 and 2011. Generalized linear modeling (G) was used to correlate species richness with environmental variables. It was found that wetlands with low human disturbance were characterized by a higher richness (n > 10) of wetland dependent specialist birds (depending completely on wetlands for food and nesting) than the highly disturbed wetlands. However, for wetland-associated birds (those able to nest and feed in wetlands as well as in other habitats), there was no significant difference (P = 0.31) in species richness between disturbed and non-disturbed wetlands. The abundance of wetland dependent specialist birds was significantly affected (P < 0.001) by human disturbance, whereas the abundance of wetland associated birds was not (P = 0.39). Fifty-three percent of the variation in species richness of wetland dependent birds was explained by a combination of water depth, sludge depth, conductivity, chlorophyll a, total phosphorus, human disturbance and vegetation cover. It is recommended that anthropogenic activities should be minimized and controlled in and around these wetlands to conserve biodiversity.
Screening assays of termite gut microbes that potentially as probiotic for human to digest cellulose as new food source

According to UN, earth population will increase approximately 7.3 billion people up to 11.2 billion from 2015 until 2100. On the other side, food needs are not balance with the availability of food on earth. People of the world need solution for a new food source. By cellulose digesting ability, people analyzed can consume cellulose as the new food source to get glucose. The aims of research is obtaining termite gut cellulase bacteria selected which is potential as probiotic to split cellulose. Method used was as follows; isolation of termite gut microbes, microbial cellulase purification by screening method and probiotic test includes microbial pathogenicity test and human stomach acid and salt osmotic concentration resistance test. The result shows, 3 pure isolates of termite gut microbes can break down cellulose in the medium 1% CMC and 0.1% congo red (indicator of cellulose degradation activity) and life at pH 2- 2.5 and osmotic salt condition. Two isolates show the activity of gamma hemolysis (non-pathogenic in terms of pathogenicity on human blood). In conclusion, there are isolated termite gut microbes can be used as probiotic candidate for human to digest cellulose of the new food source for global food scarcity era.
Ultrastructural analysis of intracellular membrane and microtubule behavior during mitosis of Drosophila S2 cells

S2 cells are one of the most widely used Drosophila melanogaster cell lines for molecular dissection of mitosis using RNA interference (RNAi). However, a detailed and complete description of S2 cell mitosis at the ultrastructural level is still missing. Here, we analyzed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) a random sample of 144 cells undergoing mitosis, focusing on intracellular membrane and microtubule (MT) behavior. This unbiased approach allowed us to discover that S2 cells exhibit a characteristic behavior of intracellular membranes, involving the formation of a quadruple nuclear membrane in early prometaphase and its disassembly during late prometaphase. After nuclear envelope disassembly, the mitotic apparatus becomes encased by a discontinuous network of ER membranes that associate with mitochondria preventing their diffusion into the spindle area. We also observed a peculiar metaphase spindle organization. We found that kinetochores with attached k-fibers are almost invariably associated with lateral MT bundles that can be either interpolar bundles or k-fibers connected to a different kinetochore. This spindle organization is likely to favor chromosome alignment at metaphase and subsequent segregation during anaphase. In summary, we describe several previously unknown features of membrane and microtubule organization during S2 cell mitosis. The genetic determinants of these mitotic features of can now be investigated using an RNAi-based approach, which is particularly easy and efficient in S2 cells