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BACKGROUND: Bartonella quintana is a body louse-borne bacterium causing bacteremia and infective endocarditis. We aimed to describe B. quintana detection among arthropods and their hosts. METHODS: We searched databases in PubMed Central/MEDLINE, Scopus, Embase, and Web of Science from January 1, 1915 (the year of B. quintana discovery) to January 1, 2024, to identify publications containing specific search terms relating to B. quintana detection among arthropods. Descriptive statistics and meta-analysis of pooled prevalence using random-effects models were performed for all arthropods and body and head lice. RESULTS: Of 1265 records, 62 articles were included, describing 8839 body lice, 4962 head lice, and 1692 other arthropods, such as different species of fleas, bedbugs, mites, and ticks. Arthropods were collected from 37 countries, of which 28 had arthropods with B. quintana DNA. Among articles that reported B. quintana detection among individual arthropods, 1445 of 14,088 (0.1026, 95% CI [0.0976; 0.1077]) arthropods tested positive for B. quintana DNA, generating a random-effects model global prevalence of 0.0666 (95% CI [0.0426; 0.1026]). Fifty-six studies tested 8839 body lice, of which 1679 had B. quintana DNA (0.1899, 95% CI [0.1818; 0.1983]), generating a random-effects model pooled prevalence of 0.2312 (95% CI [0.1784; 0.2843]). Forty-two studies tested 4962 head lice, of which 390 head lice from 20 studies originating from 11 different countries had B. quintana DNA (0.0786, 95% CI [0.0713; 0.0864]). Eight studies detected B. quintana DNA exclusively on head lice. Five studies reported greater B. quintana detection on head lice than body lice; all originated from low-resource environments. CONCLUSIONS: Bartonella quintana is a vector-borne bacterium with a global distribution, disproportionately affecting marginalized populations. Bartonella quintana DNA has been detected in many different arthropod species, though not all of these arthropods meet criteria to be considered vectors for B. quintana transmission. Body lice have long been known to transmit B. quintana. A limited number of studies suggest that head lice may also act as possible vectors for B. quintana in specific low-resource contexts.
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Artrópodes , Bartonella quintana , Pediculus , Animais , Bartonella quintana/isolamento & purificação , Bartonella quintana/genética , Artrópodes/microbiologia , Pediculus/microbiologia , Pediculus/genética , Febre das Trincheiras/epidemiologia , Febre das Trincheiras/microbiologia , Febre das Trincheiras/transmissão , Febre das Trincheiras/diagnóstico , Carrapatos/microbiologia , Humanos , Ácaros/microbiologia , Sifonápteros/microbiologia , Percevejos-de-Cama/microbiologia , DNA Bacteriano/genética , Ftirápteros/microbiologia , Infestações por Piolhos/epidemiologia , Infestações por Piolhos/parasitologiaRESUMO
Vegetation cover has been consistently reported to be a factor influencing soil biota. Massive spreading of invasive plants may transform native plant communities, changing the quality of habitats as a result of modification of soil properties, most often having a directional effect on soil microorganisms and soil fauna. One of the most numerous microarthropods in the litter and soil is Acari. It has been shown that invasive plants usually have a negative effect on mites. We hypothesized that invasive Spiraea tomentosa affects the structure of the Uropodina community and that the abundance and species richness of Uropodina are lower in stands monodominated by S. tomentosa than in wet meadows free of this alien species. The research was carried out in wet meadows, where permanent plots were established in an invaded and uninvaded area of each meadow, soil samples were collected, soil moisture was determined and the mites were extracted. We found that Uropodina mite communities differed in the abundance of individual species but that the abundance and richness of species in their communities were similar. S. tomentosa invasion led primarily to changes in the quality of Uropodina communities, due to an increase in the shares of species from forest and hygrophilous habitats. Our results suggest that alien plant invasion does not always induce directional changes in mite assemblages, and conclude that the impact of an alien species on Uropodina may cause significant changes in the abundance and richness of individual species without causing significant changes in the abundance and diversity of their community.
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Recent metagenomic studies have identified numerous lineages of hydrogen-dependent, obligately methyl-reducing methanogens. Yet only a few representatives have been isolated in pure culture. Here, we describe six new species with this capability in the family Methanosarcinaceae (order Methanosarcinales), which makes up a substantial fraction of the methanogenic community in arthropod guts. Phylogenomic analysis placed the isolates from cockroach hindguts into the genus Methanimicrococcus (M. hacksteinii, M. hongohii, M. stummii) and the isolates from millipede hindguts into a new genus, Methanolapillus (M. africanus, M. millepedarum, M. ohkumae). Members of this intestinal clade, which includes also uncultured representatives from termites and vertebrates, have substantially smaller genomes (1.6-2.2 Mbp) than other Methanosarcinales. Genome reduction was accompanied by the loss of the upper part of the Wood-Ljungdahl pathway, several energy-converting membrane complexes (Fpo, Ech, Rnf), and various biosynthetic pathways. However, genes involved in the protection against reactive oxygen species (catalase and superoxide reductase) were conserved in all genomes, including cytochrome bd (CydAB), a high-affinity terminal oxidase that may confer the capacity for microaerobic respiration. Since host-associated Methanosarcinales are nested within omnivorous lineages, we conclude that the specialization on methyl groups is an adaptation to the intestinal environment.
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Background: Q fever is a worldwide occurring neglected zoonotic disease with great economic importance. The etiological agent, Coxiella burnetii, is a bacterium usually associated with subclinical infections in livestock, but may also cause reproductive pathology and spontaneous abortions in artiodactyl species including goats, sheep and cattle which are deemed to be the primary reservoirs of this disease. Aims: The present cross-sectional and questionnaire survey was undertaken in three districts of the South Omo zone with the aims to comprehend the community perception of livestock keepers and professionals about the disease, estimate the seroprevalence of Coxiella burnetii (C. burnetii) in cattle and small ruminants and to determine the species of potential tick vectors of C. burnetii infesting cattle, sheep and goats. Methods: A standard questionnaire was used to assess the community perception of livestock keepers and animal health professionals in the area about Q fever. Sera samples were collected from 1350 ruminants comprising 450 cattle, 450 goats and 450 sheep to detect C. burnetii antibodies using the ELISA technique. Furthermore, a total of 279 cattle, 197 goats and 73 sheep were examined for the presence of ticks, and overall, 2720 ticks were collected (1299 from cattle, 1020 from goats and 401 from sheep) and identified to the species level using morphologically identification keys. Results: Findings of the study indicated that 43% of animal owners were aware of the main symptoms of the disease while the remaining 57% did not notice these symptoms in their animals. Additionally, majority of animal health professionals 76.2% in the area reported they were familiar with the causative agent of Q fever, while 23.8% expressed uncertainty regarding the cause of coxiellosis. An overall seroprevalence of C. burnetii of 37.6% in cattle (37.4% in female and 37.8% in male cattle) and 28.7% in small ruminants was recorded (which is significantly higher in goats than in sheep). The study indicated statistically significantly higher seroprevalence of C. burnetii (49.8%) in cattle infested with ticks than in those cattle free of ticks (24.2%), with three times higher seropositivity (OR = 2.97, p = 0.000) as compared to those cattle free of ticks (24.2%). Similarly, statistically significantly higher seroprevalence of C. burnetii was recorded in both sheep and goats infested with ticks (43.6%) as compared to those animals without ticks (22.9%), with the former being twice as likely to test seropositive (OR = 2.15, p = 0.000). A total of nine different tick species were identified, namely Amblyomma variegatum (Am. variegatum) with 26.3% (342; 217 males, 101 females and 24 nymphs), Amblyomma cohaerens (Am. cohaerens) with 47.96% (370 males, 253 females), Amblyomma gemma (Am. gemma) with 4.00% (52; 29 males, 23 female), Rhipicephalus pulchellus (Rh. pulchellus) with 10.6% (138; 87 males, 51 females), Rhipicephalus pravus (Rh. pravus) with 0.2% (3; 2 males, 1 females), Rhipicephalus evertsi (Rh. evertsi) with 4.7% (61; 39 males, 22 females), Rhipicephalus praetextatus (Rh. praetextatus) with 0.8% (10; 7 males, 3 females), Rhipicephalus decoloratus (Rh decoloratus) with 2.9% (38; 4 males, 34 females) and Hyalomma truncatum (Hy. truncatum) with 2.5% (32 females). Conclusion: The present study highlighted the significance of Q fever in ruminants and compiled information about the community perception of livestock keepers and veterinary professionals of the study areas. The role of ruminants and their ticks in the epidemiology of C. burnetii requires further research using molecular tools to better understand appropriate method of intervention that will help to reduce negative impacts on the productivities of livestock and the health of humans in Ethiopia.
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Increasing food production while avoiding negative impacts on biodiversity constitutes one of the main challenges of our time. Traditional silvopastoral systems like Iberian oak savannas ("dehesas") set an example, where free-range livestock has been reared for centuries while preserving a high natural value. Nevertheless, factors decreasing productivity need to be addressed, one being acorn losses provoked by pest insects. An increased and focalized grazing by livestock on infested acorns would kill the larvae inside and decrease pest numbers, but increased livestock densities could have undesired side effects on ground arthropod communities as a whole. We designed an experimental setup including areas under trees with livestock exclosures of different ages (short-term: 1-year exclusion, long-term: 10-year exclusion), along with controls (continuous grazing), using DNA metabarcoding (mitochondrial markers COI and 16S) to rapidly assess arthropod communities' composition. Livestock removal quickly increased grass cover and arthropod taxonomic richness and diversity, which was already higher in short-term (1-year exclosures) than beneath the canopies of control trees. Interestingly, arthropod diversity was not highest at long-term exclosures (≥10 years), although their community composition was the most distinct. Also, regardless of treatment, we found that functional diversity strongly correlated with the vegetation structure, being higher at trees beneath which there was higher grass cover and taller herbs. Overall, the taxonomic diversity peak at short term exclosures would support the intermediate disturbance hypothesis, which relates it with the higher microhabitat heterogeneity at moderately disturbed areas. Thus, we propose a rotatory livestock management in dehesas: plots with increased grazing should co-exist with temporal short-term exclosures. Ideally, a few long-term excluded areas should be also kept for the singularity of their arthropod communities. This strategy would make possible the combination of biological pest control and arthropod conservation in Iberian dehesas.
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Artrópodes , Biodiversidade , Gado , Quercus , Animais , Pradaria , Código de Barras de DNA TaxonômicoRESUMO
Endosymbiotic Alphaproteobacteria of the genus Wolbachia are exclusively transferred maternally from mother to offspring, but horizontal transfer across species boundaries seems to be frequent as well. However, the (ecological) mechanisms of how these bacteria are transferred between distantly related arthropod hosts remain unclear. Based on the observation that species that are part of the same ecological community often also share similar Wolbachia strains, host ecology has been hypothesized as an important factor enabling transmission and a key factor in explaining the global distribution of Wolbachia lineages. In this study, we focus on the diversity and abundance of Wolbachia strains in soil arthropods, a so far rather neglected community. We screened 82 arthropod morphotypes collected in the beech forest (dominated by Fagus sp.) soil in the area of Göttingen in central Germany for the presence of Wolbachia. By performing a PCR screen with Wolbachia-MLST markers (coxA, dnaA, fbpA, ftsZ, gatB, and hcpA), we found a rather low infection frequency of 12,2%. Additionally, we performed metagenomic screening of pooled individuals from the same sampling site and could not find evidence that this low infection frequency is an artefact due to PCR-primer bias. Phylogenetic analyses of the recovered Wolbachia strains grouped them in three known supergroups (A, B, and E), with the first report of Wolbachia in Protura (Hexapoda). Moreover, Wolbachia sequences from the pseudoscorpion Neobisium carcinoides cluster outside the currently known supergroup diversity. Our screening supports results from previous studies that the prevalence of Wolbachia infections seems to be lower in soil habitats than in above-ground terrestrial habitats. The reasons for this pattern are not completely understood but might stem from the low opportunity of physical contact and the prevalence of supergroups that are less suited for horizontal transfer.
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Temperate woodlands are biodiverse natural communities threatened by land use change and fire suppression. Excluding historic disturbance regimes of periodic groundfires from woodlands causes degradation, resulting from changes in the plant community and subsequent biodiversity loss. Restoration, through prescribed fire and tree thinning, can reverse biodiversity losses, however, because the diversity of woodland species spans many taxa, efficiently quantifying biodiversity can be challenging. We assessed whether soundscapes in an eastern North American woodland reflect biodiversity changes during restoration measured in a concurrent multitrophic field study. In five restored and five degraded woodland sites in Wisconsin, USA, we sampled vegetation, measured arthropod biomass, conducted bird surveys, and recorded soundscapes for five days of every 15-day period from May to August 2022. We calculated two complementary acoustic indices: Soundscape Saturation, which focuses on all acoustically active species, and Acoustic Complexity Index (ACI), which was developed to study vocalizing birds. We used generalized additive models to predict both indices based on Julian date, time of day, and level of habitat degradation. We found that restored woodlands had higher arthropod biomass, and higher richness and abundance of breeding birds. Additionally, soundscapes in restored sites had higher mean Soundscape Saturation and higher mean ACI. Restored woodland acoustic indices exhibited greater magnitudes of daily and seasonal peaks. We conclude that woodland restoration results in higher soundscape saturation and complexity, due to greater richness and abundance of vocalizing animals. This bioacoustic signature of restoration offers a promising monitoring tool for efficiently documenting differences in woodland biodiversity.
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In order to address a biological explanation for the different regenerative abilities present among animals, a new evolutionary speculation is presented. It is hypothesized that epigenetic mechanisms have lowered or erased regeneration during the evolution of terrestrial invertebrates and vertebrates. The hypothesis indicates that a broad regeneration can only occur in marine or freshwater conditions, and that life on land does not allow for high regeneration. This is due to the physical, chemical and microbial conditions present in the terrestrial environment with respect to those of the aquatic environment. The present speculation provides examples of hypothetic evolutionary animal lineages that colonized the land, such as parasitic annelids, terrestrial mollusks, arthropods and amniotes. These are the animals where regeneration is limited or absent and their injuries are only repaired through limited healing or scarring. It is submitted that this loss derived from changes in the developmental gene pathways sustaining regeneration in the aquatic environment but that cannot be expressed on land. Once regeneration was erased in terrestrial species, re-adaptation to freshwater niches could not reactivate the previously altered gene pathways that determined regeneration. Therefore a broad regeneration was no longer possible or became limited and heteromorphic in the derived, extant animals. Only in few cases extensive healing abilities or regengrow, a healing process where regeneration overlaps with somatic growth, have evolved among arthropods and amniotes. The present paper is an extension of previous speculations trying to explain in biological terms the different regenerative abilities present among metazoans.
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Evolução Biológica , Epigênese Genética , Regeneração , Animais , Regeneração/genética , Regeneração/fisiologia , Invertebrados/genética , Invertebrados/fisiologia , Vertebrados/genéticaRESUMO
This research presents a 10-year systematic review based on bibliometric analysis of the bio-inspired design of hard-bodied mobile robot mechatronic systems considering the anatomy of arthropods. These are the most diverse group of animals whose flexible biomechanics and adaptable morphology, thus, it can inspire robot development. Papers were reviewed from two international databases (Scopus and Web of Science) and one platform (Aerospace Research Central), then they were classified according to: Year of publication (January 2013 to April 2023), arthropod group, published journal, conference proceedings, editorial publisher, research teams, robot classification according to the name of arthropod, limb's locomotion support, number of legs/arms, number of legs/body segments, limb's degrees of freedom, mechanical actuation type, modular system, and environment adaptation. During the screening, more than 33 000 works were analyzed. Finally, a total of 174 studies (90 journal-type, 84 conference-type) were selected for in-depth study: Insecta-hexapods (53.8%), Arachnida-octopods (20.7%), Crustacea-decapods (16.1%), and Myriapoda-centipedes and millipedes (9.2%). The study reveals that the most active editorials are the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc., Springer, MDPI, and Elsevier, while the most influential researchers are located in the USA, China, Singapore, and Japan. Most works pertained to spiders, crabs, caterpillars, cockroaches, and centipedes. We conclude that 'arthrobotics' research, which merges arthropods and robotics, is constantly growing and includes a high number of relevant studies with findings that can inspire new methods to design biomechatronic systems.
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Artrópodes , Bibliometria , Robótica , Animais , Robótica/instrumentação , Artrópodes/fisiologia , Artrópodes/anatomia & histologia , Biomimética/métodos , Desenho de Equipamento , Locomoção/fisiologia , Fenômenos BiomecânicosRESUMO
Seasonally abundant arthropods are a crucial food source for many migratory birds that breed in the Arctic. In cold environments, the growth and emergence of arthropods are particularly tied to temperature. Thus, the phenology of arthropods is anticipated to undergo a rapid change in response to a warming climate, potentially leading to a trophic mismatch between migratory insectivorous birds and their prey. Using data from 19 sites spanning a wide temperature gradient from the Subarctic to the High Arctic, we investigated the effects of temperature on the phenology and biomass of arthropods available to shorebirds during their short breeding season at high latitudes. We hypothesized that prolonged exposure to warmer summer temperatures would generate earlier peaks in arthropod biomass, as well as higher peak and seasonal biomass. Across the temperature gradient encompassed by our study sites (>10°C in average summer temperatures), we found a 3-day shift in average peak date for every increment of 80 cumulative thawing degree-days. Interestingly, we found a linear relationship between temperature and arthropod biomass only below temperature thresholds. Higher temperatures were associated with higher peak and seasonal biomass below 106 and 177 cumulative thawing degree-days, respectively, between June 5 and July 15. Beyond these thresholds, no relationship was observed between temperature and arthropod biomass. Our results suggest that prolonged exposure to elevated temperatures can positively influence prey availability for some arctic birds. This positive effect could, in part, stem from changes in arthropod assemblages and may reduce the risk of trophic mismatch.
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Artrópodes , Biomassa , Estações do Ano , Temperatura , Animais , Regiões Árticas , Artrópodes/fisiologia , Mudança Climática , Cadeia Alimentar , Charadriiformes/fisiologia , Migração AnimalRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Environmentally-friendly crop protection practices are needed to enhance the sustainability of current agricultural systems. This is crucial in orchards which are extensively treated to impair various pests, at the expense of natural enemies. However, the effect of a shift towards softer pest management on the beneficial arthropod community is poorly documented. Earwigs (Dermaptera: Forficulidae) and spiders (Araneae) are relevant groups to assess such effects because they are highly sensitive to agricultural practices. They were monitored for 6 and 4 years, respectively, in apple orchards under three pest management regimes: Organic, Low-input and Conventional, with pest management being switched during the survey from a broad-spectrum insecticide schedule to mating disruption in the latter one, and more selective compounds in all orchards. RESULTS: The survey displayed that earwig abundance (mainly Forficula auricularia) that was initially very low in the Conventional orchard (annual mean 0.5-1.7 earwigs per shelter in the 2010-2012 period) increased to the same level as that of Low-input and Organic orchards (over 10 earwigs per shelter) in the same year that changes in pest management occurred. The epigeal and arboreal spider communities were not responsive, and no recovering was observed 4 years after change in practices. CONCLUSION: Predatory arthropod communities are differently affected over time by changes in pest management, most probably due to their biology (dispersion, reproduction rate, susceptibility to pesticides etc.). This outlines the importance of documenting the time required to recover after perturbations and build a natural enemy community to enhance pest control in a win-win perspective. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.
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One of the fundamental aims of ecological, epidemiological and evolutionary studies of host-parasite interactions is to unravel which factors affect parasite virulence. Theory predicts that virulence and transmission are correlated by a trade-off, as too much virulence is expected to hamper transmission owing to excessive host damage. Coinfections may affect each of these traits and/or their correlation. Here, we used inbred lines of the spider mite Tetranychus urticae to test how coinfection with T. evansi impacted virulence-transmission relationships at different conspecific densities. The presence of T. evansi on a shared host did not change the relationship between virulence (leaf damage) and the number of transmitting stages (i.e. adult daughters). The relationship between these traits was hump-shaped across densities, both in single and coinfections, which corresponds to a trade-off. Moreover, transmission to adjacent hosts increased in coinfection, but only at low T. urticae densities. Finally, we tested whether virulence and the number of daughters were correlated with measures of transmission to adjacent hosts, in single and coinfections at different conspecific densities. Traits were mostly independent, meaning that interspecific competitors may increase transmission without affecting virulence. Thus, coinfections may impact epidemiology and parasite trait evolution, but not necessarily the virulence-transmission trade-off.This article is part of the theme issue 'Diversity-dependence of dispersal: interspecific interactions determine spatial dynamics'.
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Coinfecção , Interações Hospedeiro-Parasita , Tetranychidae , Animais , Virulência , Tetranychidae/fisiologia , Coinfecção/parasitologia , Coinfecção/transmissão , FemininoRESUMO
Megalurothrips usitatus (Bagnall) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) is an important pest in Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp. Neoseiulus barkeri (Hughes) (Acari: Phytoseiidae) is widely used for control of pest mites and insects worldwide. We evaluated its effect on M. usitatus when predators (N. barkeri) or insecticides (Spinetoram) were applied in the fields. Neoseiulus barkeri Hughes consumed 80% of M. usitatus prey offered within 6 h, and predation showed Type III functional response with prey density. The maximum consumption of N. barkeri was 27.29 ± 1.02 individuals per d per arena (1.5 cm diameter), while the optimal prey density for the predatory mite was 10.35 ± 0.68 individuals per d per arena (1.5 cm diameter). The developmental duration of N. barkeri fed with M. usitatus was significantly shorter than those fed with the dried fruit mite, Carpoglyphus lactis (L.) (Acari: Astigmata). In field trials, the efficiency of N. barkeri against M. usitatus was not significantly different from that of applications of the insecticide spinetoram. Biodiversity of other insects in treated fields was assessed, and there were 21 insect species in garden plots treated with N. barkeri releases. The total abundance (N), Shannon's diversity index (H), Pielou's evenness index (J) and Simpson's diversity index (D) of the garden plots treated with predatory mites were all significantly higher than that in the garden plots treated with spinetoram, where we found no species of predators or parasitoids and 7 herbivores. Our results show that N. barkeri is a potential means to control M. usitatus while preserving arthropod diversity at the level of treated gardens.
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Biodiversidade , Ácaros , Comportamento Predatório , Animais , Comportamento Predatório/fisiologia , Ácaros/fisiologia , Controle Biológico de Vetores/métodos , Inseticidas/farmacologia , Artrópodes/fisiologia , MacrolídeosRESUMO
Terrestrial ectotherms are vulnerable to climate change since their biological rates depend on the ambient temperature. As temperature may interact with toxicant exposure, climate change may cause unpredictable responses to toxic stress. A population's thermal adaptation will impact its response to temperature change, but also to interactive effects from temperature and toxicants, but these effects are still not fully understood. Here, we assessed the combined effects of exposure to the insecticide imidacloprid across the temperatures 10-25 °C of two populations of the Collembola Hypogastrura viatica (Tullberg, 1872), by determining their responses in multiple life history traits. The con-specific populations differ considerably in thermal adaptations; one (arctic) is a temperature generalist, while the other (temperate) is a warm-adapted specialist. For both populations, the sub-lethal concentrations of imidacloprid became lethal with increasing temperature. Although the thermal maximum is higher for the warm-adapted population, the reduction in survival was stronger. Growth was reduced by imidacloprid in a temperature-dependent manner, but only at the adult life stage. The decrease in adult body size combined with the absence of an effect on the age at first reproduction suggests a selection on the timing of maturation. Egg production was reduced by imidacloprid in both populations, but the negative effect was only dependent on temperature in the warm-adapted population, with no effect at 10 °C, and decreases of 41 % at 15 °C, and 74 % at 20 °C. For several key traits, the population best adapted to utilize high temperatures was also the most sensitive to toxic stress at higher temperatures. It could be that by allocating more energy to faster growth, development, and reproduction at higher temperatures, the population had less energy for maintenance, making it more sensitive to toxic stress. Our findings demonstrate the need to take into account a population's thermal adaptation when assessing the interactive effects between temperature and other stressors.
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Mudança Climática , Inseticidas , Neonicotinoides , Nitrocompostos , Temperatura , Neonicotinoides/toxicidade , Nitrocompostos/toxicidade , Animais , Inseticidas/toxicidade , Artrópodes/efeitos dos fármacos , Artrópodes/fisiologia , Poluentes do Solo/toxicidade , Solo/química , Adaptação Fisiológica , Imidazóis/toxicidadeRESUMO
The Gypsum Karst of Sorbas, Almeria, southeast Spain, includes a few caves whose entrances are open and allow the entry and roosting of numerous bats. Caves are characterized by their diversity of gypsum speleothems, such as stalactites, coralloids, gypsum crusts, etc. Colored biofilms can be observed on the walls of most caves, among which the Covadura and C3 caves were studied. The objective was to determine the influence that bat mycobiomes may have on the fungal communities of biofilms. The results indicate that the fungi retrieved from white and yellow biofilms in Covadura Cave (Ascomycota, Mortierellomycota, Basidiomycota) showed a wide diversity, depending on their location, and were highly influenced by the bat population, the guano and the arthropods that thrive in the guano, while C3 Cave was more strongly influenced by soil- and arthropod-related fungi (Ascomycota, Mortierellomycota), due to the absence of roosting bats.
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Artrópodes , Biofilmes , Sulfato de Cálcio , Cavernas , Quirópteros , Fungos , Cavernas/microbiologia , Quirópteros/microbiologia , Quirópteros/fisiologia , Animais , Fungos/classificação , Fungos/fisiologia , Fungos/genética , Fungos/isolamento & purificação , Artrópodes/microbiologia , Espanha , Biodiversidade , Micobioma , Microbiologia do SoloRESUMO
Previous difficulties in arthropod taxonomy (such as limitations in conventional morphological approaches, the possibility of cryptic species and a shortage of knowledgeable taxonomists) has been overcome by the powerful tool of DNA barcoding. This study presents a thorough analysis of DNA barcoding in regards to Pakistani arthropods, which were collected from Lahore's Jinnah Garden. The 88 % (9,451) of the 10,792 specimens that were examined were able to generate DNA barcodes and 83% (8,974) of specimens were assigned 1,361 barcode index numbers (BINs). However, the success rate differed significantly between the orders of arthropods, from 77% for Thysanoptera to an astounding 93% for Diptera. Through morphological exams, DNA barcoding, and cross-referencing with the Barcode of Life Data system (BOLD), the Barcode Index Numbers (BINs) were assigned with a high degree of accuracy, both at the order (100%) and family (98%) levels. Though, identifications at the genus (37%) and species (15%) levels showed room for improvement. This underscores the ongoing need for enhancing and expanding the DNA barcode reference library. This study identified 324 genera and 191 species, underscoring the advantages of DNA barcoding over traditional morphological identification methods. Among the 17 arthropod orders identified, Coleoptera, Diptera, Hemiptera, Hymenoptera, and Lepidoptera from the class Insecta dominated, collectively constituting 94% of BINs. Expected malaise trap Arthropod fauna in Jinnah Garden could contain approximately 2,785 BINs according to Preston log-normal species distribution, yet the Chao-1 Index predicts 2,389.74 BINs. The Simpson Index of Diversity (1-D) is 0.989, signaling high species diversity, while the Shannon Index is 5.77, indicating significant species richness and evenness. These results demonstrated that in Pakistani arthropods, DNA barcoding and BOLD are an invaluable tool for improving taxonomic understanding and biodiversity assessment, opening the door for further eDNA and metabarcoding research.
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Artrópodes , Biodiversidade , Código de Barras de DNA Taxonômico , Animais , Código de Barras de DNA Taxonômico/métodos , Paquistão , Artrópodes/genética , Artrópodes/classificação , JardinsRESUMO
Terrestrial invertebrates are highly important for the decomposition of dung from large mammals. Mammal dung has been present in many of Earth's ecosystems for millions of years, enabling the evolution of a broad diversity of dung-associated invertebrates that process various components of the dung. Today, large herbivorous mammals are increasingly introduced to ecosystems with the aim of restoring the ecological functions formerly provided by their extinct counterparts. However, we still know little about the ecosystem functions and nutrient flows in these rewilded ecosystems, including the dynamics of dung decomposition. In fact, the succession of insect communities in dung is an area of limited research attention also outside a rewilding context. In this study, we use environmental DNA metabarcoding of dung from rewilded Galloway cattle in an experimental set-up to investigate invertebrate communities and functional dynamics over a time span of 53 days, starting from the time of deposition. We find a strong signal of successional change in community composition, including for the species that are directly dependent on dung as a resource. While several of these species were detected consistently across the sampling period, others appeared confined to either early or late successional stages. We believe that this is indicative of evolutionary adaptation to a highly dynamic resource, with species showing niche partitioning on a temporal scale. However, our results show consistently high species diversity within the functional groups that are directly dependent on dung. Our findings of such redundancy suggest functional stability of the dung-associated invertebrate community, with several species ready to fill vacant niches if other species disappear. Importantly, this might also buffer the ecosystem functions related to dung decomposition against environmental change. Interestingly, alpha diversity peaked after approximately 20-25 days in both meadow and pasture habitats, and did not decrease substantially during the experimental period, probably due to preservation of eDNA in the dung after the disappearance of visiting invertebrates, and from detection of tissue remains and cryptic life stages.
Assuntos
Artrópodes , Biodiversidade , Código de Barras de DNA Taxonômico , Fezes , Animais , Bovinos/fisiologia , Fezes/química , Artrópodes/fisiologia , DNA Ambiental/análise , EcossistemaRESUMO
The more insects there are, the more food there is for insectivores and the higher the likelihood for insect-associated ecosystem services. Yet, we lack insights into the drivers of insect biomass over space and seasons, for both tropical and temperate zones. We used 245 Malaise traps, managed by 191 volunteers and park guards, to characterize year-round flying insect biomass in a temperate (Sweden) and a tropical (Madagascar) country. Surprisingly, we found that local insect biomass was similar across zones. In Sweden, local insect biomass increased with accumulated heat and varied across habitats, while biomass in Madagascar was unrelated to the environmental predictors measured. Drivers behind seasonality partly converged: In both countries, the seasonality of insect biomass differed between warmer and colder sites, and wetter and drier sites. In Sweden, short-term deviations from expected season-specific biomass were explained by week-to-week fluctuations in accumulated heat, rainfall and soil moisture, whereas in Madagascar, weeks with higher soil moisture had higher insect biomass. Overall, our study identifies key drivers of the seasonal distribution of flying insect biomass in a temperate and a tropical climate. This knowledge is key to understanding the spatial and seasonal availability of insects-as well as predicting future scenarios of insect biomass change.
Assuntos
Biomassa , Estações do Ano , Temperatura , Clima Tropical , Animais , Suécia , Madagáscar , Insetos/fisiologia , Água , EcossistemaRESUMO
The effect of pesticides on insects is often discussed in terms of acute and chronic toxicity, but an important and often overlooked aspect is the impact of sublethal doses on insect physiology and behavior. Pesticides can influence various physiological parameters of insects, including the innate immune system, development, and reproduction, through a combination of direct effects on specific exposed tissues and the modification of behaviors that contribute to health and reproductive success. Such behaviors include mobility, feeding, oviposition, navigation, and the ability to detect pheromones. Pesticides also have a profound effect on insect learning and memory. The precise effects depend on many different factors, including the insect species, age, sex, caste, physiological condition, as well as the type and concentration of the active ingredients and the exposure route. More studies are needed to assess the effects of different active ingredients (and combinations thereof) on a wider range of species to understand how sublethal doses of pesticides can contribute to insect decline. This review reflects our current knowledge about sublethal effects of pesticides on insects and advancements in the development of innovative methods to detect them.
Assuntos
Insetos , Praguicidas , Animais , Insetos/efeitos dos fármacos , Praguicidas/toxicidade , Reprodução/efeitos dos fármacos , Comportamento Animal/efeitos dos fármacosRESUMO
Understanding how primary productivity and diversity affect secondary productivity is an important debate in ecology with implications for biodiversity conservation. Particularly, how plant diversity influences arthropod diversity contributes to our understanding of trophic cascades and species coexistence. Previous studies show a positive correlation between plant and arthropod diversity. The theory of associational resistance suggests that plant herbivory rate will decrease with increasing plant diversity indicating feedbacks between primary diversity, productivity, and secondary productivity rates. However, our understanding of how these relations are mediated by anthropogenic disturbance is still limited. We surveyed 10 forest sites, half of which are disturbed by fire, logging, and tree pruning, distributed in two climatic zones in Benin, West Africa. We established 100 transects to record plant species and sampled arthropods using pitfall traps, ceramic plates with bait, and sweeping nets. We developed a structural equation model to test the mediating effect of chronic anthropogenic disturbance on plant diversity and how it influences arthropod diversity and abundance. Arthropod diversity increased but arthropod abundance decreased with increasing intensity of disturbance. We found no significant bottom-up influence of the plant diversity on arthropod diversity but a significant plant diversity-arthropod abundance relationship. Some arthropod guilds were significantly affected by plant diversity. Finally, herbivory rates were positively associated with arthropod diversity. Synthesis. Our results highlight how chronic anthropogenic disturbance can mediate the functional links between trophic levels in terms of diversity and productivity. Our study demonstrated a decoupled response of arthropod diversity and abundance to disturbance. The direct positive influence of plant diversity on herbivory rates we found in our study provides counter-support for the theory of associational resistance.