Field ponding water exacerbates the dissemination of manure-derived antibiotic resistance genes from paddy soil to surrounding waterbodies.

Farmlands fertilized with livestock manure-derived amendments have become a hot topic in the dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). Field ponding water connects rice paddies with surrounding water bodies, such as reservoirs, rivers, and lakes. However, there is a knowledge gap in understanding whether and how manure-borne ARGs can be transferred from paddy soil into field ponding water. Our studies suggest that the manure-derived ARGs aadA1, bla1, catA1, cmlA1-01, cmx(A), ermB, mepA and tetPB-01 can easily be transferred into field ponding water from paddy soil. The bacterial phyla Crenarchaeota, Verrucomicrobia, Cyanobacteria, Choloroflexi, Acidobacteria, Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, and Actinobacteria are potential hosts of ARGs. Opportunistic pathogens detected in both paddy soil and field ponding water showed robust correlations with ARGs. Network co-occurrence analysis showed that mobile genetic elements (MGEs) were strongly correlated with ARGs. Our findings highlight that manure-borne ARGs and antibiotic-resistant bacteria in paddy fields can conveniently disseminate to the surrounding waterbodies through field ponding water, posing a threat to public health. This study provides a new perspective for comprehensively assessing the risk posed by ARGs in paddy ecosystems.

(S)-(+)-4-(Oxiran-2-ylmeth-oxy)-9H-carbazole.

In the title compound, C(15)H(13)NO(2), all atoms of the carbazole group are coplanar (r.m.s. deviation = 0.005 Å), and the dihedral angle between this plane and C-O-C plane of oxane group is 57.1 (4)°. The crystal packing is stabilized by an N-H⋯O hydrogen bond, resulting in infinite supra-molecular chains along [001].

Distribution of Serotonin-Immunoreactive Neurons in the Brain and Gnathal Ganglion of Caterpillar Helicoverpa armigera.

Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) is an important biogenic amine that acts as a neural circuit modulator. It is widespread in the central nervous system of insects. However, little is known about the distribution of serotonin in the nervous system of the cotton bollworm Helicoverpa armigera. In the present study, we performed immunohistochemical experiments with anti-serotonin serum to examine the distribution of serotonin in the central nervous system of H. armigera larvae. We found about 40 serotonin-immunoreactive neurons in the brain and about 20 in the gnathal ganglion. Most of these neurons are wide-field neurons giving rise to processes throughout the neuropils of the brain and the gnathal ganglion. In the central brain, serotonin-immunoreactive processes are present bilaterally in the tritocerebrum, the deutocerebrum, and major regions of the protocerebrum, including the central body (CB), lateral accessory lobes (LALs), clamps, crepine, superior protocerebrum, and lateral protocerebrum. The CB, anterior ventrolateral protocerebrum (AVLP), and posterior optic tubercle (POTU) contain extensive serotonin-immunoreactive process terminals. However, the regions of mushroom bodies, the lateral horn, and protocerebral bridges (PBs) are devoid of serotonin-immunoreactivity. In the gnathal ganglion, the serotonin-immunoreactive processes are also widespread throughout the neuropil, and some process projections extend to the tritocerebrum. Our results provide the first comprehensive description of the serotonergic neuronal network in H. armigera larvae, and they reveal the neural architecture and the distribution of neural substances, allowing us to explore the neural mechanisms of behaviors by using electrophysiological and pharmacological approaches on the target regions.

Brain Organization of Apolygus lucorum: A Hemipteran Species With Prominent Antennal Lobes.

The anatomical organization of distinct regions in the insect brain often reflects their functions. In the present study, the brain structure of Apolygus lucorum was examined by using immunolabeling and three-dimensional reconstruction. The results revealed the location and volume of prominent neuropils, such as the antennal lobes (AL), optic lobes (OL), anterior optic tubercles (AOTU), central body (CB), lateral accessory lobes (LAL), mushroom lobes, and distinct tritocerebral neuropils. As expected, this brain is similar to that of other insects. One exception, however, is that the antennal lobes were found to be the most prominent neuropils. Their size relative to the entire brain is the largest among all insect species studied so far. In contrast, the calyx, a region getting direct input from the antennal lobe, has a smaller size relative to the brain than that of other species. These findings may suggest that olfaction plays an essential role for A. lucorum.

[Water-holding characteristics of coniferous forest litters in west Qinling Mountains].

By the methods of field survey and soaking extraction, the storage, water-holding capacity, water-holding rate, and water-absorption rate of the litters in Larix principis-ruprechtii, Larix kaempferi, Picea asperate, and Picea abies plantations in west Qinling Mountains were studied. The results showed that the litter storage in the four similar aged coniferous forests decreased in the order of P. asperate (29.81 t x hm(-2)) > P. abies (26.17 t x hm(-2)) > L. kaempferi (13.30 t x hm(-2)) > L. ruprechtii (8.46 t x hm(-2)). The water-holding capacity and water-holding rate of the litters at different decomposition degree changed logarithmically with soaking time while the water-absorption rate assumed a power function, but all the test water-holding characteristics had less correlation with forest type and litter decomposition degree. Under the four coniferous forests, the litters in semi-decomposed layer had a stronger water-holding capability than those in decomposed layer, and the water-holding capability of the litters under larch forest was stronger than that under spruce forest.