Comprehensive phylogenomic time tree of bryophytes reveals deep relationships and uncovers gene incongruences in the last 500 million years of diversification.

PREMISE: Bryophytes form a major component of terrestrial plant biomass, structuring ecological communities in all biomes. Our understanding of the evolutionary history of hornworts, liverworts, and mosses has been significantly reshaped by inferences from molecular data, which have highlighted extensive homoplasy in various traits and repeated bursts of diversification. However, the timing of key events in the phylogeny, patterns, and processes of diversification across bryophytes remain unclear. METHODS: Using the GoFlag probe set, we sequenced 405 exons representing 228 nuclear genes for 531 species from 52 of the 54 orders of bryophytes. We inferred the species phylogeny from gene tree analyses using concatenated and coalescence approaches, assessed gene conflict, and estimated the timing of divergences based on 29 fossil calibrations. RESULTS: The phylogeny resolves many relationships across the bryophytes, enabling us to resurrect five liverwort orders and recognize three more and propose 10 new orders of mosses. Most orders originated in the Jurassic and diversified in the Cretaceous or later. The phylogenomic data also highlight topological conflict in parts of the tree, suggesting complex processes of diversification that cannot be adequately captured in a single gene-tree topology. CONCLUSIONS: We sampled hundreds of loci across a broad phylogenetic spectrum spanning at least 450 Ma of evolution; these data resolved many of the critical nodes of the diversification of bryophytes. The data also highlight the need to explore the mechanisms underlying the phylogenetic ambiguity at specific nodes. The phylogenomic data provide an expandable framework toward reconstructing a comprehensive phylogeny of this important group of plants.

COVID-19 mRNA vaccines drive differential Fc-functional profiles in pregnant, lactating, and non-pregnant women

Significant immunological changes occur throughout pregnancy to tolerize the mother and allow growth of the fetal graft. However, additional local and systemic immunological adaptations also occur, allowing the maternal immune system to continue to protect the dyad against foreign invaders both during pregnancy and after birth through lactation. This fine balance of tolerance and immunity, along with physiological and hormonal changes, contribute to increased susceptibility to particular infections in pregnancy, including more severe COVID-19 disease. Whether these changes also make pregnant women less responsive to vaccination or induce altered immune responses to vaccination remains incompletely understood. To holistically define potential changes in vaccine response during pregnancy and lactation, we deeply profiled the humoral vaccine response in a group of pregnant and lactating women and non-pregnant age-matched controls. Vaccine-specific titers were comparable, albeit slightly lower, between pregnant and lactating women, compared to non-pregnant controls. Among pregnant women, we found higher antibody titers and functions in those vaccinated with the Moderna vaccine. FcR-binding and antibody effector functions were induced with delayed kinetics in both pregnant and lactating women compared to non-pregnant women. Antibody boosting resulted in high FcR-binding titers in breastmilk. These data point to an immune resistance to generate highly inflammatory antibodies during pregnancy and lactation, and a critical need to follow prime/boost timelines in this vulnerable population to ensure full immunity is attained.

Family camps: an overview of benefits and issues of camps and programs for families.

One form of family leisure in which many families choose to participate is attending a family camp. Recent increases in family camps (both formation and attendance) and reasons for attending family camps are reviewed. This article addresses types of family camps, and philosophies and foundations of family camps and structures and activities are discussed. Benefits (both immediate and long-term) of family camp attendance are presented, and concerns associated with this type of camp are mentioned. The authors give a call for theoretical-based family camp programs and research and provide specific recommendations for programs and future research.