The effect of bi-iliac breadth on core body temperature.

Thermoregulation is argued to be an important factor influencing body breadth in hominins based on the relationship of surface area to body mass first proposed by Bergmann. Selection for a narrow thorax, and thus a narrow pelvis, increases body surface area relative to body mass, which could be beneficial in hot climates if it leads to a decrease in core body temperature. However, the relationship between pelvic breadth and thermoregulation in humans has not been established. Although previous work has shown that bi-iliac breadth is significantly positively associated with latitude in humans, we lack an understanding of whether this association is due to climate-related selection, neutral evolutionary processes, or other selective pressures. A missing piece of the puzzle is whether body breadth at the iliac blades is an important factor in thermoregulation. Here, we examine this in a mixed-sex sample of 28 adult runners who ran for one hour at 3.14 m s-1 in a variety of climatic conditions while their core body temperatures were measured using internal temperature sensors. The association of maximum core temperature with anthropometric and demographic variables such as age, sex, mass, body fat percentage, and bi-iliac breadth was analyzed using a linear mixed-effect model. Due to the small sample size, the model was also bootstrapped. We found that an increase in absolute bi-iliac breadth was significantly associated with an increase in maximum core temperature. Overall, this preliminary analysis suggests a link between variation in bi-iliac breadth and maximum core body temperature during running, but further investigation is needed.

Interspecific competition shapes bird species' distributions along tropical precipitation gradients.

The hypothesis that species' ranges are limited by interspecific competition has motivated decades of debate, but a general answer remains elusive. Here we test this hypothesis for lowland tropical birds by examining species' precipitation niche breadths. We focus on precipitation because it-not temperature-is the dominant climate variable that shapes the biota of the lowland tropics. We used 3.6 million fine-scale citizen science records from eBird to measure species' precipitation niche breadths in 19 different regions across the globe. Consistent with the predictions of the interspecific competition hypothesis, multiple lines of evidence show that species have narrower precipitation niches in regions with more species. This means species inhabit more specialized precipitation niches in species-rich regions. We predict this niche specialization should make tropical species in high diversity regions disproportionately vulnerable to changes in precipitation regimes; preliminary empirical evidence is consistent with this prediction.

Gender Determination Through Mandibular Features on Orthopantomograms: A Preliminary Study.

Introduction Determination of gender can be highly accurate with a complete adult skeleton, but in scenarios like mass disasters, only fragmented bones might be available. In such cases, identifying gender relies significantly on which parts of the skeleton are found. The mandible is a notably distinct bone in the skull and can be key in determining gender, especially when the entire skull is not available. The mandibular features provide clues that can help forensic experts determine the gender of an individual. Aim of the study This preliminary study aimed to determine the gender of an individual using mandibular parameters such as coronoid ramus height, condylar ramus height, projective ramus, minimum ramus breadth, and maximum ramus breadth. The objectives of this study were to (i) determine the gender of an individual using various mandibular parameters, (ii) evaluate the effectiveness of these mandibular parameters in distinguishing between male and female individuals, and (iii) establish a reliable method for gender identification based on the measured mandibular parameters. Materials and methods Since it was a preliminary study, the sample size calculation was done using G*Power software (Version 3.1.9.4; Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany). The sample size was determined to guarantee a 95% statistical power at a significance level (alpha error probability) of 0.05. To ensure sufficient statistical power, a total of 100 samples were included, with a projected sample size of 92. A total of 100 samples, evenly split between 50 males and 50 females aged 20 to 30 years, were analyzed. Orthopantomograms (OPGs) showing pathologies, fractures, developmental disturbances of the mandible, and edentulous mandibles were excluded from the study. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS for Windows, Version 16.0 (Released 2007; SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). Additionally, an accuracy test, analysis of variance (ANOVA), multiple regression, and discriminant analysis for gender were performed on individual data. Results In this study, five mandibular parameters were analyzed for gender such as coronoid ramus height, condylar ramus height, projective ramus, minimum ramus breadth, and maximum ramus breadth showed a positive correlation comparatively, and a novel formula was developed.  Conclusion According to the present study, panoramic radiography can be considered a valuable tool in sex determination (with an accuracy of 90%), and all parameters of the mandible exhibited sexual dimorphism, showing they are reliable parameters with a total accuracy of 90%. However, coronoid ramus height, projective ramus, and maximum ramus breadth played a significant role in identifying gender in this particular study.

Host specialization and spatial divergence of bacteria associated with Peltigera lichens promote landscape gamma diversity.

BACKGROUND: Lichens are micro-ecosystems relying on diverse microorganisms for nutrient cycling, environmental adaptation, and structural support. We investigated the spatial-scale dependency of factors shaping the ecological processes that govern lichen-associated bacteria. We hypothesize that lichens function as island-like habitats hosting divergent microbiomes and promoting landscape gamma-diversity. Three microenvironments -thalli, substrates, and neighboring soils- were sampled from four geographically overlapping species of Peltigera cyanolichens, spanning three bioclimatic zones in the Chilean Patagonia, to determine how bacterial diversity, assembly processes, ecological drivers, interaction patterns, and niche breadth vary among Peltigera microenvironments on a broad geographical scale. RESULTS: The hosts' phylogeny, especially that of the cyanobiont, alongside climate as a secondary factor, impose a strong ecological filtering of bacterial communities within Peltigera thalli. This results in deterministically assembled, low diverse, and phylogenetically convergent yet structurally divergent bacterial communities. Host evolutionary and geographic distances accentuate the divergence in bacterial community composition of Peltigera thalli. Compared to soil and substrate, Peltigera thalli harbor specialized and locally adapted bacterial taxa, conforming sparse and weak ecological networks. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that Petigera thalli create fragmented habitats that foster landscape bacterial gamma-diversity. This underscores the importance of preserving lichens for maintaining a potential reservoir of specialized bacteria.

Reclamation of abandoned cropland switches fungal community assembly from deterministic to stochastic processes.

Soil microbial communities are major drivers of cycling of soil nutrients that sustain plant growth and productivity. Yet, a holistic understanding of the impact of abandoned agricultural land reclamation on the soil microbe is still poorly understood, especially for the microbial community assembly mechanisms. Here, we investigated the influence of reclamation on the relative importance of stochastic and deterministic processes in shaping microbial community assembly. After reclaiming abandoned cropland for corn and soybean cultivation, the fungal community assembly was shifted to stochastic processes, while bacterial communities remained predominantly influenced by stochastic processes. Our study revealed that reclamation did not significantly affect bacterial diversity, community niche breadth, and community similarity. In contrast, fungal communities exhibited lower alpha diversity, narrower niche breadths, greater niche overlap and higher community similarity in corn and soybean cultivation treatment in response to reclamation. Moreover, soil pH and soil available phosphorus were the most important environmental factors influencing fungal richness, niche breadths, community assembly processes, and community similarity. Together, the reclamation of abandoned cropland promoted the transformation of the fungal community assembly from deterministic process to a stochastic process, leading to decreased fungal diversity and broader ecological niche width, ultimately resulting in greater similarity among fungal communities. This finding provides insight into the varied responses of microbial diversity and ecological process to abandoned cropland reclamation, offering valuable guidance for the conservation and sustainable management of abandoned cropland in future land-use practices.

Assessing the impact of green patents on pollution reduction: A micro-level study of Chinese industrial firms.

As global warming and environmental degradation escalate, policymakers worldwide increasingly advocate for the development of green patents. However, there is ongoing debate regarding the effectiveness of green patents in actual pollution reduction. Some studies suggest that firms may engage in green patenting activities to align with government and market expectations rather than achieving substantive breakthroughs in pollution reduction. In light of this, it is crucial to examine the impact of green patents on pollution reduction. This study employs a PSM-DID model to analyze the impact of green patents on pollution emission intensity using plant-level data from Chinese industrial firms. The results demonstrate that with an average increase of 1% in the number of green patents, the industrial waste gas emission intensity and industrial wastewater discharge intensity decreased by 4.74% and 8.68%, respectively. Furthermore, pollution treatment facilities were found to be more effective than green patents during the sample period. On average, the contribution of waste gas treatment facilities and wastewater treatment facilities in pollution reduction is 3.33% and 9.79% higher than that of green patents. These findings suggest that firms should adopt a balanced approach when making decisions on pollution reduction. Further analysis shows that the pollution reduction effect of green patents is partly at the expense of the total factor productivity of firms. This trade-off highlights the need for policy interventions to support firms in integrating green technologies without compromising productivity. This study underscores the emphasizes of transitioning from end-of-pipe pollution control to green production processes to achieve sustainable development in China.

Openness to experience predicts eye movement behavior during scene viewing.

Individuals' abilities to perform goal-directed spatial deployments of attention are distinguishable from their broader preferences for how they use spatial attention when circumstances do not compel a specific deployment strategy. Although these preferences are likely to play a major role in how we interact with the visual world during daily life, they remain relatively understudied. This exploratory study investigated two key questions about these preferences: firstly, are individuals consistent in their preferences for how they deploy their spatial attention when making shifts of attention versus adopting an attentional breadth? Secondly, which other factors are associated with these preferences? Across two experiments, we measured how participants preferred to deploy both attentional breadth (using an adapted Navon task) and eye movements (using a free-viewing task). We also measured participants' working memory capacities (Experiment 1), and their personalities and world beliefs (Experiment 2). In both experiments, there were consistent individual differences in preference for attentional breadth and eye movement characteristics, but these two kinds of preference were unrelated to each other. Working memory capacity was not linked to these preferences. Conversely, the personality trait of Openness to Experience robustly predicted two aspects of eye movement behavior preference, such that higher levels of Openness predicted smaller saccades and shorter scan paths. This suggests that personality dimensions may predict preferences for more absorbed engagement with visual information. However, it appears that individuals' preferences for shifts of attention during scene viewing do not necessarily relate to the breadth of attention they choose to adopt.

Random Copolymers Based on 2-Ethylhexyl Acrylate Exhibit Unusual Glass Transition Breadth and Facile Autonomous Self-Healing over a Broad Composition Range.

Statistical copolymers are commercially important because their properties can be tuned by comonomer selection and composition. Rubbery-state styrene (S)/n-butyl acrylate (nBA) copolymers have previously been reported to exhibit facile, autonomous self-healing over a narrow composition band (47/53 to 53/47 mol%). The need for a narrow composition band is explained by alternating comonomer sequences that accommodate interchain secondary bonding. It is hypothesized that copolymers that achieve interchain secondary bonding without alternating sequences can exhibit facile self-healing over a broad composition range. 2-ethylhexyl acrylate (EHA) is identified as yielding sequence-independent secondary bonding interactions. For these interactions it is tested experimentally by glass transition breadth in rubbery-state S/EHA copolymers, with S/n-hexyl acrylate (nHA) and S/nBA copolymers as controls. The n-alkyl acrylate random copolymers exhibit enhanced glass transition breadths over narrow composition bands that correspond to autonomous self-healing. In contrast, S/EHA copolymers exhibit much greater glass transition breadths than S/nHA and S/nBA copolymers at all compositions tested as well as self-healing of damage over a broad composition range with full tensile-property recovery, often in 3-10 h. Characterization of glass transition breadth may serve as a simple screening tool for identifying copolymers that exhibit broad-composition-range, facile, autonomous self-healing and contribute to polymer resilience and sustainability.

Boost and Increased Antibody Breadth Following a Second Dose of PARVAX for SARS-CoV-2 in Mice and Nonhuman Primates.

PARVAX is a genetic vaccine platform based on an adeno-associated vector that has demonstrated to elicit potent, durable, and protective immunity in nonhuman primates (NHPs) after a single dose. Here, we assessed vaccine immunogenicity following a PARVAX prime-boost regimen against SARS-CoV-2. In mice, a low-dose prime followed by a higher-dose boost elicited potent neutralizing antibody responses and distinct cross-reactivity profiles, depending on the antigen used in the booster vaccine. However, the potent neutralizing anti-vector antibody responses developed in mice limited the dose that could be administered as a prime. We further explored the re-administration efficacy in NHPs primed with a SARS-CoV-2 Delta vaccine and boosted with an Omicron BA.1 vaccine at week 15, after the primary response peak antibody levels were reached. The boost elicited an increase in antibodies against several Omicron variants, but no increase was detected in the antibody titers for other variants. The anti-vector responses were low and showed some increased subsequent boosts but generally declined over time. The potent prime vaccination limited the detection of the boosting effect, and therefore, the effect of anti-vector immunity was not fully elucidated. These data show that PARVAX can be effectively re-administered and induce a novel antigenic response.

The Approved Live-Attenuated Chikungunya Virus Vaccine (IXCHIQ®) Elicits Cross-Neutralizing Antibody Breadth Extending to Multiple Arthritogenic Alphaviruses Similar to the Antibody Breadth Following Natural Infection.

The first vaccine against chikungunya virus (CHIKV) was recently licensed in the U.S., Europe, and Canada (brand IXCHIQ®, referred to as VLA1553). Other pathogenic alphaviruses co-circulate with CHIKV and major questions remain regarding the potential of IXCHIQ to confer cross-protection for populations that are exposed to them. Here, we characterized the cross-neutralizing antibody (nAb) responses against heterotypic CHIKV and additional arthritogenic alphaviruses in individuals at one month, six months, and one year post-IXCHIQ vaccination. We characterized nAbs against CHIKV strains LR2006, 181/25, and a 2021 isolate from Tocantins, Brazil, as well as O'nyong-nyong virus (ONNV), Mayaro virus (MAYV), and Ross River virus (RRV). IXCHIQ elicited 100% seroconversion to each virus, with the exception of RRV at 83.3% seroconversion of vaccinees, and cross-neutralizing antibody potency decreased with increasing genetic distance from CHIKV. We compared vaccinee responses to cross-nAbs elicited by natural CHIKV infection in individuals living in the endemic setting of Puerto Rico at 8-9 years post-infection. These data suggest that IXCHIQ efficiently and potently elicits cross-nAb breadth that extends to related alphaviruses in a manner similar to natural CHIKV infection, which may have important implications for individuals that are susceptible to alphavirus co-circulation in regions of potential vaccine rollout.

Broadening sarbecovirus neutralization with bispecific antibodies combining distinct conserved targets on the receptor binding domain.

Monoclonal neutralizing antibodies (mAbs) are considered an important prophylactic against SARS-CoV-2 infection in at-risk populations and a strategy to counteract future sarbecovirus-induced disease. However, most mAbs isolated so far neutralize only a few sarbecovirus strains. Therefore, there is a growing interest in bispecific antibodies (bsAbs) which can simultaneously target different spike epitopes and thereby increase neutralizing breadth and prevent viral escape. Here, we generate and characterize a panel of 30 novel broadly reactive bsAbs using an efficient controlled Fab-arm exchange protocol. We specifically combine some of the broadest mAbs described so far, which target conserved epitopes on the receptor binding domain (RBD). Several bsAbs show superior cross-binding and neutralization compared to the parental mAbs and cocktails against sarbecoviruses from diverse clades, including recent SARS-CoV-2 variants. BsAbs which include mAb COVA2-02 are among the most potent and broad combinations. As a result, we study the unknown epitope of COVA2-02 and show that this mAb targets a distinct conserved region at the base of the RBD, which could be of interest when designing next-generation bsAb constructs to contribute to a better pandemic preparedness.

Physiological thermal responses of three Mexican snakes with distinct lifestyles.

The impact of temperature on reptile physiology has been examined through two main parameters: locomotor performance and metabolic rates. Among reptiles, different species may respond to environmental temperatures in distinct ways, depending on their thermal sensitivity. Such variation can be linked to the ecological lifestyle of the species and needs to be taken into consideration when assessing the thermal influence on physiology. This is particularly relevant for snakes, which are a very functionally diverse group. In this study, our aim was to analyze the thermal sensitivity of locomotor performance and resting metabolic rate (RMR) in three snake species from central Mexico (Crotalus polystictus, Conopsis lineata, and Thamnophis melanogaster), highlighting how it is influenced by their distinctive behavioral and ecological traits. We tested both physiological parameters in five thermal treatments: 15 °C, 25 °C, 30 °C, 33 °C, and 36 °C. Using the performance data, we developed thermal performance curves (TPCs) for each species and analyzed the RMR data using generalized linear mixed models. The optimal temperature for locomotion of C. polystictus falls near its critical thermal maximum, suggesting that it can maintain performance at high temperatures but with a narrow thermal safety margin. T. melanogaster exhibited the fastest swimming speeds and the highest mass-adjusted RMR. This aligns with our expectations since it is an active forager, a high energy demand mode. The three species have a wide performance breadth, which suggests that they are thermal generalists that can maintain performance over a wide interval of temperatures. This can be beneficial to C. lineata in its cold habitat, since such a characteristic has been found to allow some species to maintain adequate performance levels in suboptimal temperatures. RMR increased along with temperature, but the proportional surge was not uniform since thermal sensitivity measured through Q10 increased at the low and high thermal treatments. High Q10 at low temperatures could be an adaptation to maintain favorable performance in suboptimal temperatures, whereas high Q10 at high temperatures could facilitate physiological responses to heat stress. Overall, our results show different physiological adaptations of the three species to the environments they inhabit. Their different activity patterns and foraging habits are closely linked to these adaptations. Further studies of other populations with different climatic conditions would provide valuable information to complement our current understanding of the effect of environmental properties on snake physiology.

Genome-Wide Gene Birth-Death Dynamics Are Associated with Diet Breadth Variation in Lepidoptera.

Comparative analyses of gene birth-death dynamics have the potential to reveal gene families that played an important role in the evolution of morphological, behavioral, or physiological variation. Here, we used whole genomes of 30 species of butterflies and moths to identify gene birth-death dynamics among the Lepidoptera that are associated with specialist or generalist feeding strategies. Our work advances this field using a uniform set of annotated proteins for all genomes, investigating associations while correcting for phylogeny, and assessing all gene families rather than a priori subsets. We discovered that the sizes of several important gene families (e.g. those associated with pesticide resistance, xenobiotic detoxification, and/or protein digestion) are significantly correlated with diet breadth. We also found 22 gene families showing significant shifts in gene birth-death dynamics at the butterfly (Papilionoidea) crown node, the most notable of which was a family of pheromone receptors that underwent a contraction potentially linked with a shift to visual-based mate recognition. Our findings highlight the importance of uniform annotations, phylogenetic corrections, and unbiased gene family analyses in generating a list of candidate genes that warrant further exploration.

Effect of empowering leadership on employees' workplace loneliness: a moderated mediation model.

Background: Workplace loneliness has become a prevalent experience among employees in organizations; however, there is limited empirical research on how leaders can address and mitigate this issue. Drawing upon self-determination theory and empowering leadership theory, this study examines the impact of empowering leadership on workplace loneliness by exploring the mediator of role breadth self-efficacy and the moderator of leader-member conversational quality. Methods: A time-lagged research design was used, collecting data through a two-wave online survey involving 531 employees in Chinese public sectors. The participants consisted of 321 males and 210 females, with an average age of 35 years (SD = 7.36). Results: Our findings indicate that empowering leadership positively influences employees' role breadth self-efficacy, reducing their workplace loneliness. Moreover, leader-member conversational quality strengthens this indirect effect, suggesting that empowering leadership is more effective in reducing workplace loneliness when leader-member conversational quality is high. Conclusion: This study expands and enriches research on the antecedents of workplace loneliness from the leadership approach, providing valuable insights for organizations to implement interventions that effectively alleviate employees' workplace loneliness.

Metabolites of blueberry roots at different developmental stages strongly shape microbial community structure and intra-kingdom interactions at the root-soil interface.

The rhizosphere microorganisms of blueberry plants have long coexisted with their hosts under distinctively acidic soil conditions, exerting a profound influence on host performance through mutualistic symbiotic interactions. Meanwhile, plants can regulate rhizosphere microorganisms by exerting host effects to meet the functional requirements of plant growth and development. However, it remains unknown how the developmental stages of blueberry plants affect the structure, function, and interactions of the rhizosphere microbial communities. Here, we examined bacterial communities and root metabolites at three developmental stages (flower and leaf bud development stage, fruit growth and development stage, and fruit maturation stage) of blueberry plants. The results revealed that the Shannon and Chao 1 indices as well as community composition varied significantly across all three developmental stages. The relative abundance of Actinobacteria significantly increased by 10 % (p < 0.05) from stage 1 to stage 2, whereas that of Proteobacteria decreased significantly. The co-occurrence network analysis revealed a relatively complex network with 1179 edges and 365 nodes in the stage 2. Niche breadth was highest at stage 2, while niche overlap tended to increase as the plant developed. Furthermore, the untargeted metabolome analysis revealed that the number of differential metabolites of vitamins, nucleic acids, steroids, and lipids increased between stage 1 to stage2 and stage 2 to stage 3, while those for differential metabolites of carbohydrates and peptides decreased. Significant changes in expression levels of levan, L-glutamic acid, indoleacrylic acid, oleoside 11-methyl ester, threo-syringoylglycerol, gingerglycolipid B, and bovinic acid were highly correlated with the bacterial community structure. Collectively, our study reveals that significant alterations in dominant bacterial taxa are strongly correlated with the dynamics of root metabolites. These findings lay the groundwork for developing prebiotic products to enhance the beneficial effects of root microorganisms and boosting blueberry productivity via a sustainable approach.

The Relationships between the Population Density of Fir Bark Beetles and Niche Breadth.

Bark beetles are a significant link in the chain of diseases that lead to the accelerated dying of firs (Abies alba Mill.), a key species in the cultivation of stable mixed-tree stands. The aim of this work was to evaluate biotic interactions in populations of bark beetles that colonised natural traps made from firs. The tested hypothesis was that the niche breadth of the species increases with the increasing density of the population. The research was carried out in near-natural forests containing fir, growing in the Suchedniów-Oblegorek Landscape Park in central Poland. Data were collected from 30 traps trees and 30 windfalls in the years 2010-2023. Cryphalus piceae Ratz. prefers heavily weakened trees, as shown by the fact that it colonised all of the natural traps, which lack any defensive reactions. The sampling method used in the study proved effective, as confirmed by the segregation of the niches of all of the bark beetles. Using nonlinear regression (linearisable model and piecewise linear regression), models were constructed that describe the niche breadths of the bark beetles. The niche parameter is correlated with the density of colonisation. The derived models explain around 77-84% of the variation in the niche breadth of bark beetles on natural traps. The mean relative errors of estimation do not exceed 20%. The niche breadth parameter obtained from the derived regression equations may be used in models that describe-for example-the impact of observed climate change on the population dynamics of bark beetles.

Different deployments of attentional breadth selectively predict UFOV task performance in older adults.

The Useful Field of View task (UFOV) is a strong and reliable predictor of crash risk in older drivers. However, while the functional domain of attention is clearly implicated in UFOV performance, the potential role of one specific attentional process remains unclear: attentional breadth (the spatial extent of the attended region around the point of visual fixation). The goal of the present study was to systematically test the role of two distinct aspects of attentional breadth, maintaining a specific breadth of attention and resizing the attended region, in UFOV performance. To this end, 135 older adults completed the UFOV and modified Navon tasks to measure their efficiency in maintaining, contracting, and expanding the breadth of attention. We then examined individual-difference associations between these aspects of attentional breadth deployment and UFOV performance. We found that performance on UFOV Subtask 2 was associated with efficient contraction of attentional breadth (i.e., resizing the attended region to a smaller area), while Subtask 3 performance was associated with the efficiency of expanding attentional breadth (i.e., resizing the attended region to a larger area). The selectivity of these relationships appears to implicate these specific deployments of attentional breadth in how people complete the task, as it suggests that these relationships are not simply attributable to shared variance in a broader domain of cognitive functioning. The implications of these results for our understanding of UFOV, as well as future research directions that test the relative contributions of different cognitive processes in predicting task performance, are discussed.

Rainfall seasonality shapes microbial assembly and niche characteristics in Yunnan Plateau lakes, China.

Microorganisms are crucial components of freshwater ecosystems. Understanding the microbial community assembly processes and niche characteristics in freshwater ecosystems, which are poorly understood, is crucial for evaluating microbial ecological roles. The Yunnan Plateau lakes in China represent a freshwater ecosystem that is experiencing eutrophication due to anthropogenic activities. Here, variation in the assembly and niche characteristics of both prokaryotic and microeukaryotic communities was explored in Yunnan Plateau lakes across two seasons (dry season and rainy season) to determine the impacts of rainfall and environmental conditions on the microbial community and niche. The results showed that the environmental heterogeneity of the lakes decreased in the rainy season compared to the dry season. The microbial (bacterial and microeukaryotic) α-diversity significantly decreased during the rainy season. Deterministic processes were found to dominate microbial community assembly in both seasons. ß-Diversity decomposition analysis revealed that microbial community compositional dissimilarities were dominated by species replacement processes. The co-occurrence networks indicated reduced species complexity for microbes and a destabilized network for prokaryotes prior to rainfall, while the opposite was found for microeukaryotes following rainfall. Microbial niche breadth decreased significantly in the rainy season. In addition, lower prokaryotic niche overlap, but greater microeukaryotic niche overlap, was observed after rainfall. Rainfall and environmental conditions significantly affected the microbial community assembly and niche characteristics. It can be concluded that rainfall and external pollutant input during the seasonal transition alter the lake environment, thereby regulating the microbial community and niche in these lakes. Our findings offer new insight into microbiota assembly and niche patterns in plateau lakes, further deepening the understanding of freshwater ecosystem functioning.

Antigenic Cartography of SARS-CoV-2.

Antigenic cartography is a tool for interpreting and visualizing antigenic differences between virus variants based on virus neutralization data. This approach has been successfully used in the selection of influenza vaccine seed strains. With the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants escaping vaccine-induced antibody response, adjusting COVID-19 vaccines has become essential. This review provides information on the antigenic differences between SARS-CoV-2 variants revealed by antigenic cartography and explores a potential of antigenic cartography-based methods (e.g., building antibody landscapes and neutralization breadth gain plots) for the quantitative assessment of the breadth of the antibody response. Understanding the antigenic differences of SARS-CoV-2 and the possibilities of the formed humoral immunity aids in the prompt modification of preventative vaccines against COVID-19.

Thermal tolerance as a driver of reef fish community structure at the isolated tropical Mid-Atlantic Ridge Islands.

Reef fish communities are shaped by historical and ecological factors, including abiotic and biotic mechanisms at different spatial scales, determining species composition, abundance and biomass. The oceanic islands in the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (St. Peter and St. Paul's Archipelago - SPSPA, Ascension, and St. Helena), exhibiting differences in community structure along a 14-degree latitudinal and a 10 °C thermal gradient. We investigate the influence of sea surface temperature, area, age, isolation and phosphate on reef fish community structures. Reef fish trophic structure varies significantly across the islands, with planktivores and herbivore-detritivores showing the highest abundances in SPSPA and Ascension, while less abundant in St. Helena, aligning with the thermal gradient. Variations in reef fish community structures were predominantly influenced by thermal regimes, corroborating the expansion of species' thermal niche breadth at higher latitudes and lower temperatures. This study highlights that in addition to biogeographic factors, temperature is pivotal on shaping oceanic island reef fish community structure.