- by Tozzi, A.We explored the nonlinear movement patterns of Anacridium aegyptium during terrestrial locomotion, providing insights into the walking dynamics of this large grasshopper species. Using video recordings, we analysed the trajectory of an insect and quantified key metrics, including curvature, tortuosity and fractal dimension. Curvature analysis revealed irregular turning behaviors with sharp directional changes, suggesting that locomotion was not random but deliberate. Compared with simulated linear trajectories, the curvature exhibited distinct peaks, highlighting the presence of statistically significant nonlinear features in […]
- by Cedden, D., Guney, G., Rostas, M., Bucher, G.BackgroundRNA interference (RNAi) is a tool for studying gene function and has emerged as a promising eco-friendly alternative to chemical pesticides. RNAi relies on delivering double-stranded RNA (dsRNA), which is processed into small interfering RNA (siRNA) to silence genes. However, so far, knowledge and tools for optimizing the dsRNA sequences for maximum efficacy are based on human data, which might not be optimal for insects and pest control. ResultsHere, we systematically tested different siRNA sequences in the red flour beetle […]
- by Paredes, E., Lago, A., Souza Troncoso, J.Mytilus galloprovincialis Lamarck, 1819, is a globally significant aquaculture species, contributing 25% of fresh seafood landings and leading EU mussel production. In Spain, it accounted for 255,218 tonnes in 2022, around 60% of the global harvest. This study introduces groundbreaking cryopreservation, being the first to successfully cryopreserve the juvenile stage of a marine organism, the largest marine organism ever cryopreserved. By optimizing feeding strategies, equilibration times, and cryoprotectant concentrations, we extended our initial protocol for young larvae to include complex […]
- by Rodgers, T. W., Mock, K. E.Environmental DNA (eDNA) offers a sensitive tool for detecting aquatic species, including those at low population densities. However, effective use of eDNA in conservation and monitoring efforts requires an understanding of detection probabilities and optimal replication effort necessary to minimize false negatives. This study assessed the probability of detecting Anodonta nuttalliana, a native freshwater mussel, in two Utah populations with contrasting densities (medium and low). We conducted traditional visual sampling alongside highly replicated eDNA sampling at both sites. In the […]
- by Abuh, O. O., Adeleke, A. A., Azeez, L., Fasasi, A. K., Mohammed, R. A., Surakat, O. A.Malaria a major health scourge of high impact in sub-sahara, with a major control-drawback on issues of resistance of the parasite to antimalaria. Nanoparticles have been investigated for their capacity to effectively deliver antimalarial drugs to kill the parasites, avoid drug resistance evolution and maintain a low toxic side effects. This study investigated the antiplasmodial efficacies of two plant green-synthesized with AgNO3 and FeSO4 salts against Plasmodium berghei infected mice using, an acute toxicity test (LD50) of the Terminalia-catappa AgNPs […]
- by Erpenbeck, D., Galitz, A., Berumen, M. L., Büttner, G., Debitus, C., Dirnberger, M., Ekins, M., Hall, K., Namuth, L., Petek, S., Rahnamae, N., Reddy, M. M., Rettenberger, D., Ries, S. R., Schätzle, S., Schönberg, C. H., Setiawan, E., van der Sprong, J., Thomas, O. P., Tirumalasetty, V., de Voogd, N. J., Voigt, O., Hooper, J. N., Wörheide, G.AimThe Indo-Pacific is the worlds largest marine biogeographic region. It is characterised by different degrees of connectivity among its subregions, and harbours the majority of demosponge species currently known to science. Comparisons between several regional sponge faunas have been undertaken in the past, mostly based on identifying the sponge species morphologically. The Sponge Barcoding Project, in tandem with other regional DNA taxonomy campaigns, provides one of the largest DNA-based taxonomic data collections from sponges of the Indo-Pacific. Here, we utilise […]
- Ocular Disease Prevalence in California Sea Lions In Human Care: Freshwater Versus Saltwater Housingby Brehm, I., Herzner, S., Baumgartner, K., Beckmann, J., Simon, R., von Fersen, L.California sea lions (Zalophus californianus), are susceptible to various ocular diseases, with some literature suggesting a heightened risk for those kept in freshwater pools as opposed to saltwater. Given the potential implications of housing conditions on animal health, we wanted to analyze the ocular health of two distinct groups of sea lions kept at Nuremberg Zoo, one housed in freshwater and the other in saltwater. Data extracted from the animals medical records over a ten-year period were used to compare […]
- by Lushchak, O.Genetic manipulations, dietary composition and supplementations with varied drugs and natural compounds were shown to extend both the life- and health-span in different model organisms. An understanding of the mechanisms behind the beneficial properties of intervention includes the evaluation of physiological and molecular traits at certain time points that reflect the values at distinguished chronological age. Thus, if one cohort has a long-lived phenotype than measurements at certain time points represent the difference between organisms of different biological ages. We […]
- by Gharpure, G., Vedamurthy, J., Priya, S., Thimmegowda, G. G., Olsson, S. B.Insect populations are experiencing a global decline due to a variety of human-linked environmental changes. Among these changes, how insects physiology might be affected by predicted upslope migration due to climate change is unknown. Being ectotherms, insect physiology is impacted by abiotic factors like ambient temperature that change with elevation. Here, we performed in situ experiments to assess the sensory and cardiac physiology of an important generalist pollinating hoverfly Eristalis tenax (Diptera: Syrphidae), across different elevations in the eco-sensitive and […]
- by Gill, M. C., Chuttong, B., Davies, P., Earl, A., Tonge, G., Etheridge, D.The introduction of the western honey bee Apis mellifera to Asia has seen the parasitic mites Varroa destructor and Tropilaelaps spp. transfer from their native Asian honey bee hosts (Apis cerana and Apis dorsata respectively) to infest the brood of A. mellifera causing significant damage to colonies and colony losses. T. mercedesae was recently detected in Europe for the first time in A. mellifera colonies and is considered a more damaging parasite of A. mellifera than Varroa. Beekeepers rely heavily […]
- by Brandler, O. V., Tambovtseva, V. G., Tukhbatullin, A. R., Rumyantsev, V. Y., Grachov, A. A., Kapustina, S. Y.The steppe marmot Marmota bobak is a key species in the steppe ecosystems of Eurasia and an important object of economic and conservation practice. Its wide distribution is separated by many ecological and geographical barriers. The studied morphological variability is characterized by clinal variation of characters and indistinct differences. The subspecies system, including three subspecies, has no clear spatial boundaries and is controversial. The genetic variability of M. bobak has not been extensively studied. We first investigated the genetic variability […]
- by nimbalkar, d. n., nalavade, v. m., chavan, j. j.Isolation of extracellular enzyme degrading aerobic bacteria in the digestive tracts of fresh water prawn was carried out. Gut bacteria were isolated on carboxymethyl cellulose agar plates, starch agar media plates, gelatine peptone agar media plates. The isolated strain was qualitatively screen based on their extracellular enzyme on selective media. The strain was characterised based on morphological, physiological and biochemical characterization identified Bacillus species. Bacillus species was isolated by colony characterization carried out by using Gelatin agar Media, carboxymethyl cellulose […]
- by Davidson, M. J., Berger, L., Aquilina, A., Poveda, M. H., Guinto, D., McFadden, M., Gilbert, D., Goodall, D., Zenger, K. R., Skerratt, L. F., Kosch, T. A.Chytridiomycosis poses a significant extinction threat to many amphibians, including the critically endangered southern corroboree frog (Pseudophryne corroboree). Captive breeding programs have become essential to maintain populations while effective long-term conservation strategies are developed. Understanding the variation in susceptibility to chytridiomycosis within this species is essential in exploring the potential for selective breeding to enhance disease resistance. In this study, we conducted a large-scale Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) exposure experiment involving 972 juvenile P. corroboree selected to ensure a broad genetic […]
- by Gill, M. C., Chuttong, B., Davies, P., Earl, A., Tonge, G., Etheridge, D.Tropilaelaps spp. are a parasitic mite that feed and reproduce within honey bee brood (Apis spp.) and cause significant damage and mortality to Apis mellifera colonies. T. mercedesae is found outside the range of its natural host A. dorsata and was recently detected in Europe for the first time in 2024. It is widely believed that Tropilaelaps spp. are unable to survive without brood. However, studies have demonstrated that T. mercedesae can survive during broodless periods while parasitising A. dorsata […]
- by Culbert, B. M., McCormick, S. D., Bernier, N. J.The caudal neurosecretory system (CNSS) is a fish-specific neuroendocrine complex whose function(s) remain uncertain despite 60+ years of research. Osmoregulatory roles for the CNSS have been hypothesized, but molecular regulation of the CNSS following changes in environmental salinity remains poorly characterized. Therefore, we performed transcriptomics on the CNSS of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) to establish: 1) how the CNSS responds following seawater (SW) transfer, and 2) which endocrine systems contribute to osmoregulatory responses in the CNSS. Responses following SW transfer […]
- by Tehrani, S. J., Rezazadeh, E., Kakhki, N. A., Nourani, L., Ebadi, V., Karimi, S., Karami, M., Ashouri, F., Sarshar, A., Gossmann, T. I., Aliabadian, M.Exploring genetic diversity is essential for precise species delimitation, especially within taxonomically complex groups like passerine birds. Traditional morphological methods often fail to resolve species boundaries; however, DNA barcoding, particularly through the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene, provides a powerful alternative method for accurate species identification. This study establishes a comprehensive DNA barcode library for Iranian passerine birds, analyzing 537 COI sequences from 94 species across 23 families and 53 genera. We observed a pronounced barcode gap, […]
- by Kaur, T., Kushwah, R. S., Pradhan, S., Das, M. K., Kona, M. P., Anushrita,, Weetman, D., Dixit, R., Singh, O. P.BackgroundKnockdown resistance (kdr) mutations in the voltage-gated sodium channel (VGSC) gene are a key mechanism of insecticide resistance in mosquitoes. In Asian Aedes aegypti populations two main VGSC haplogroups with kdr mutations have been identified: one carrying the F1534C mutation and another with V1016G and/or S989P mutations. Functional studies have demonstrated that these three mutations on a single haplotype confer up to a 1100-fold increase in pyrethroid resistance, underscoring the need to monitor these triple mutations within distinct populations. This […]
- by Caron, F., Pietras, Z., Eddine-Lomas, A., von Hellfeld, R., Morimoto, J.Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins that perform essential physiological functions. Theory suggests that the proteome composition, the amino acid frequencies across all proteins in a genome, is associated with an organisms optimal growth temperature, offering insights into species temperature limits. However, this hypothesis, based on prokaryotes, has not been tested in complex multicellular eukaryotes where many amino acids are strictly acquired through diet. Here, we analysed amino acid frequencies in the proteomes of orthologous and non-orthologous genes […]
- by Derstine, N., Murray, C., Purnell, F. S., Amsalem, E.Pesticides provide vital protection against insect pests and the diseases they vector but are simultaneously implicated in the drastic worldwide decline of beneficial insect populations. Convincing evidence suggests that even sublethal pesticide exposure has detrimental effects on both individual- and colony-level traits, but the mechanisms mediating these effects remained poorly understood. Here, we use bumble bees to examine how sublethal exposure to pesticides affects mating, a key life history event shared by nearly all insects, and whether these impacts are […]
- by Weisbecker, V., Fusco, D., Ingleby, S., Lambrides, A. B. J., Manne, T., Maguire, K., O'Connor, S., Peachey, T. J., Samper Carro, S. C., Stemmer, D., Ristevski, J., van Zoelen, J. D., Viacava, P., Yates, A. M., Mein, E.Billions of specimens are in biodiversity collections worldwide, and this infrastructure is crucial for research on Earths natural history. Three-dimensional (3D) imagery of specimens is an increasingly important part of the Digital Extended Specimen network of metadata. Open access, high fidelity 3D imagery of biodiversity specimens improves researcher efficiency, equity and increases public engagement with collections. We introduce Ozboneviz, an open access collection of FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) 3D imagery aiming to enhance research capacity in Australasian vertebrate skeletal […]
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