Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Alice E. Webb, Aschwin H. Engelen, Jessica Bouwmeester, Inge van Dijk, Esmee Geerken, Julie Lattaud, Dario Engelen, Bernadette S. de Bakker, Didier M. de Bakker
Summary: Broadcast spawning by four echinoderm species and two mollusc species was observed on the Marsa Shagra reef in Egypt on the evenings of June 11 and 12, 2019, 5 and 6 days before full moon. This provides relevant information on spawning behavior in the Red Sea, which is less documented compared to other tropical regions.
Article
Zoology
Nathalia Carvalho Da Luz, Joao Carlos Coimbra
Summary: This study is a taxonomic investigation on ostracods from Trindade Island and four seamount summits of the Vitoria-Trindade Chain. A total of 26 species belonging to nine families and 17 genera were identified. Among them, five species are described as new. The other taxa are currently being studied in an ongoing survey.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Qiang Guan, Haitao Wu, Lei Xu, Yujuan Kang, Kangle Lu, Dandan Liu, Dandan Han, Zhenshan Xue, Yuxiang Yuan, Wenfeng Wang, Zhongsheng Zhang
Summary: The effects of longitudinal connectivity on the diversity of freshwater snails in river floodplain wetlands are well understood, but the effects of lateral connectivity are less evaluated. This study assessed the impact of lateral and longitudinal connectivity on multiple facets of snail diversity in floodplain wetlands in the Da Xing'an Mountains of Northeast China. The results showed significant effects of the gradients of lateral and longitudinal connectivity on the taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic structures of snail assemblages. Water and climate variables played important roles in explaining the variations in snail diversity.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Qiang Guan, Haitao Wu, Xiaofeng Xu, Zhongsheng Zhang, Zhenshan Xue
Summary: The study investigated 126 freshwater wetlands in Northeast China and found that snail richness and functional alpha diversity were higher in the wetlands of the Sanjiang Plain compared to the other regions. The taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic structures of snail assemblages differed significantly across the regions, with the greatest dissimilarities observed between the wetlands of the Songnen Plain and the other regions. Climatic variables, particularly salinity and precipitation seasonality, played a predominant role in explaining the variations in taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic structures of the snail assemblages.
FRESHWATER BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Hawis Madduppa, Ni Kadek Dita Cahyani, Aji Wahyu Anggoro, Beginer Subhan, Edwin Jefri, Lalu M. Iqbal Sani, Dondy Arafat, Nebuchadnezzar Akbar, Dietriech Geoffrey Bengen
Summary: The study utilized eDNA metabarcoding to investigate marine biodiversity distribution in Indonesia, revealing significant differences in biodiversity across locations with no discernible patterns in taxa distribution. Despite a relatively low success rate, the results highlighted unprecedented levels of marine biodiversity and significant differences in species composition.
BIODIVERSITY AND CONSERVATION
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Alessandra Martines, Giulia Furfaro, Michele Solca, Maurizio Muzzi, Andrea Di Giulio, Sergio Rossi
Summary: Microplastic pollution poses a significant threat to marine fauna and human health. Further research is needed to understand the spatial and temporal distribution of microplastics in marine sediments and their interaction with benthic detritivore species. The Mediterranean Sea, particularly the Salento peninsula, provides a valuable natural laboratory for studying microplastic dispersion events.
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Tadeusz Namiotko, Ferdinand C. C. de Moor, Helen M. M. Barber-James, Isa Schon, Koen Martens
Summary: The present study investigates the ecology and distribution of ostracod species and assemblages in inland waterbodies in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. The results show that climatic zones and water pH are the most important factors influencing ostracod assemblage composition. The study also provides tolerance ranges for water pH and electrical conductivity for 21 ostracod species.
Editorial Material
Biodiversity Conservation
Donal T. Manahan
Summary: Studying the impacts of heatwaves on marine organisms is crucial for understanding their tolerance to heat stress. Integrative analyses across different levels of biological organization reveal non-linear predictions, such as gene-protein-physiology-organism relationships. Formal genetic studies of multigenerational pedigreed families can provide further insights into potential evolutionary responses to rapid environmental change.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Rebeca Granja-Fernandez, Brenda Maya-Alvarado, Fabian A. Rodriguez-Zaragoza, Andres Lopez-Perez
Summary: Ophiuroidea is a marine group with wide distribution and particular lifestyles, making it suitable for exploring diversity partitioning in the ocean. However, there is still a lack of investigation and basic information on diversity in large areas such as the eastern tropical Pacific (ETP). This study examines the alpha, /3, and gamma-diversity patterns of Ophiuroidea in the ETP at multiple spatial scales. The results show significant differences in species composition at all spatial levels, and the variation in species composition is influenced by factors such as longitudinal and latitudinal gradients. This work represents the first attempt to analyze the distribution patterns of shallow-water Ophiuroidea from the ETP.
REGIONAL STUDIES IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Zoology
Lara Milena Sabater, Mateo Daniel Monferran, Janet Higuti, Alejandra Patricia Perez
Summary: This study presents the first checklist of recent non-marine ostracods from Argentina, providing information about species distribution and ecological characteristics. A total of 66 ostracod species in 33 genera and 7 families have been recorded, with 29% of the species considered endemic. The majority of the species were found in alkaline, freshwater to oligohaline cold waters, predominantly in low to moderate altitude environments. However, research bias towards the Pampean and Patagonia regions limits the diversity record of ostracods in Argentina.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Fauzia Izzati, Mega Ferdina Warsito, Asep Bayu, Anggia Prasetyoputri, Akhirta Atikana, Linda Sukmarini, Siti Irma Rahmawati, Masteria Yunovilsa Putra
Summary: Marine invertebrates from Indonesia are reported to have a high chemical diversity and broad spectrum of biological activities. This review summarizes the exploration of bioactive compounds from Indonesian marine invertebrates between 2007-2020, highlighting their antimicrobial, antifungal, anticancer, and antiviral properties, and suggests further investigation of novel compounds.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Davide Di Franco, Katrin Linse, Huw J. Griffiths, Angelika Brandt
Summary: The benthic communities in the Southern Ocean continental shelf and deep sea are driven by different factors, with depth being the main driver shaping the structure of peracarid assemblages. The differences in peracarid community structures between the continental shelf and deep sea in the Southern Ocean may be due to the different driving forces in these environments.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2021)
Article
Zoology
Na Yu, Shunxin Ma, Qianwei Wang, Dayou Zhai
Summary: This study describes three new species collected from northern China and contributes to the understanding of the poorly known non-marine ostracod fauna of Inner Mongolia and Beijing, as well as the central-eastern Palaearctic region.
Article
Zoology
Nadeshinie Parasram, William Santana, Henri Valles
Summary: This study provides an illustrated and annotated checklist of brachyuran crabs associated with shallow water marine habitats in Barbados. A total of 1,640 specimens were recorded, belonging to nine superfamilies, 14 families, 34 genera, and 44 species. The most abundant and widespread species collected was Mithraculus coryphe, which accounted for 35% of the specimens and occurred in both nearshore rubble and subtidal habitats.
Article
Biology
Sinlan Poo, Steven M. Whitfield, Alexander Shepack, Gregory J. Watkins-Colwell, Gil Nelson, Jillian Goodwin, Allison Bogisich, Patricia L. R. Brennan, Jennifer D'Agostino, Michelle S. Koo, Joseph R. Mendelson, Rebecca Snyder, Sandra Wilson, Gary P. Aronsen, Andrew C. Bentley, David C. Blackburn, Matthew R. Borths, Mariel L. Campbell, Dalia A. Conde, Joseph A. Cook, Juan D. Daza, Daniel P. Dembiec, Jonathan L. Dunnum, Catherine M. Early, Adam W. Ferguson, Amanda Greene, Robert Guralnick, Courtney Janney, Debbie Johnson, Felicia Knightly, Stephane Poulin, Luiz Rocha, Pamela S. Soltis, Barbara Thiers, Prosanta Chakrabarty
Summary: Zoos and natural history museums are collections-based institutions that play important roles in biodiversity research and education. Despite their overlapping missions, formal partnerships between these institutions are rare. By strengthening the dialogue between zoos and museums, a more comprehensive research dataset could be achieved.
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Marco T. Neiber, Frank Walther, Pavel V. Kijashko, Levan Mumladze, Bernhard Hausdorf
Summary: Species distributed in the Caucasus and/or the adjacent Pontic Mountains are also found in the East Mediterranean region, potentially due to long-distance dispersal. Phylogenetic and population genetic analyses reveal species pairs with deep splits predating the aridification of the Anatolian Plateau, suggesting more continuous distributions before this event.
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Sonja Bamberger, Jie Xu, Bernhard Hausdorf
Summary: Delimiting species in radiations is challenging, but next-generation sequencing data can help overcome these difficulties. By evaluating different methods, researchers found that species delimitation based on genome-wide markers provides more detailed insights, including information about gene flow between species and differences in morphological classifications.
SYSTEMATIC BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Maria Camila Ramirez Perez, Bernhard Hausdorf
Summary: The land snail fauna was investigated in the Los Cedros Biological Reserve in Ecuador, and a total of 80 land snail species were identified. The study found that Los Cedros is the most species-rich locality for land snails in South America. The proportion of carnivorous Scolodontidae is high, and many new species may have been discovered. The composition of land snail species in the Andes differs from that in the Amazonian rainforest.
JOURNAL OF MOLLUSCAN STUDIES
(2022)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Ondrej Korabek, Matthias Glaubrecht, Bernhard Hausdorf, Marco T. Neiber
Summary: The distribution range of rock-dwelling snails may have expanded rapidly during the Pliocene rather than being an ancient taxon. The origin of these snails can be traced back to southeastern Turkey, where they colonized various regions including the Levant, Saudi Arabia, and Cyprus. Furthermore, snail lineages in the southeastern Aegean region are likely a result of intentional transportation from the Levant.
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Kira Ovenbeck, Andreas Duerr, Hannah Meenke, Dirk Brandis, Christine Ewers
Summary: This study investigates the genetic diversity and differentiation of Baltic and North Sea populations, revealing that genetic differentiation is correlated with geographic distance and populations from different basins are differentiated. However, genetic differentiation within basins is generally weak.
Article
Ecology
Ondrej Korabek, Tereza Adamcova, Malgorzata Prockow, Adam Petrusek, Bernhard Hausdorf, Lucie Jurickova
Summary: The postglacial recolonization of four Central European land snail species was facilitated by persistence close to the colonized areas rather than by dispersal ability allowing for colonization from distant sources. The most important source of postglacial expansions to Central Europe was refugia located adjacent to the Pannonian Basin, but there were also substantial southward expansions. Climate factors and biological interactions may explain the rarity of such southward expansions in Europe.
JOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Marta Janczak-Pieniazek, Jan Cichonski, Patrycja Michalik, Grzegorz Chrzanowski
Summary: Heavy metal stress inhibits cellular processes and decreases plant productivity. Phenolic compounds play significant roles in plants' response to stress. Increasing biosynthesis of phenolic compounds protects plants from oxidative stress caused by heavy metal stress.
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Holger Ossenbrugger, Marco T. Neiber, Bernhard Hausdorf
Summary: This study aims to verify the recorded species of Siphonaria in the Seychelles Bank and understand their colonization patterns by analyzing DNA sequences and reconstructing phylogenetic relationships. The results show high variation in the characters of the reduced shell of Siphonaria, making species delimitation challenging. The specimens from the Seychelles Bank belong to three clades, including one possibly undescribed species previously found only in Hainan.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Bernhard Hausdorf
Summary: This article reviews the established alien land snail species that were introduced into the Western Palaearctic Region from other regions and their spread in the area. The majority of these species originated from North America, Sub-Saharan Africa, the Australian region, the Oriental Region, and South America. The spread of these species within Europe usually occurs from south to north and from west to east. The latitudinal ranges of the alien species have significantly increased over time since their introduction, with a general trend of poleward shifts compared to their native ranges. While most species are small and pose limited ecological or economic risks, recently introduced large veronicellid slugs from Sub-Saharan Africa and the giant African snail Lissachatina fulica could cause economic damage in irrigated agricultural areas or greenhouses in the Mediterranean and the Middle East.
Article
Entomology
Carolina Almeida-Caetano, Charles E. Griswold, Peter Michalik, Facundo M. Labarque
ARTHROPOD STRUCTURE & DEVELOPMENT
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Bernhard Hausdorf
Summary: Testacellidae is a type of carnivorous semislugs with a tiny shell on their elongate bodies. Testacella species are native to the western Mediterranean and western Europe and some have been introduced to temperate countries worldwide. They are subterranean and mainly feed on earthworms, making them difficult to observe. This study compares the knowledge of introduced Testacella species in North America based on literature references and museum specimens collected over more than a century with observations from community scientists on the web platform iNaturalist in less than 10 years. The records from community scientists provide valuable information, including a more continuous distribution of T. haliotidea in the Pacific states and the discovery of T. maugei in California, indicating its introduction in recent years.
BIOLOGICAL INVASIONS
(2023)
Article
Anatomy & Morphology
Dante Poy, Luis Norberto Piacentini, Peter Michalik, Shou-Wang Lin, Martin Javier Ramirez
Summary: Sperm transfer in spiders is achieved through copulatory organs on the male pedipalps. In the Aysha prospera group, the female genitalia undergo minimal changes during copulation. Through microcomputed tomography, it is observed that the female epigyne remains inflated during mating, and the male tibial structures are coupled to the epigyne through the inflation of a tibial hematodocha. It is proposed that a turgent female vulva is necessary for genital coupling, and the tibial structures have functionally replaced the male copulatory bulb.
JOURNAL OF MORPHOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Martin J. Ramirez, Jonas O. Wolff, Peter Jaeger, Martina Pavlek, Abel Perez-Gonzalez, Ivan Magalhaes, Peter Michalik
Summary: This study documents the geometric regularity and repetitive elements in the webs of non-orb-weaving spiders for the first time. Parallel lines spaced regularly were observed in the webs of Calileptoneta helferi, Sulcia sp., and cf. Pinelema sp., similar to orb weavers. The hypothesis of a single sweep of spinnerets was tested and found to be invalid based on the spacing between parallel lines, absence of expansible membranes in spinnerets, and cemented junctions of parallel lines.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
M. A. Izquierdo, T. M. Dederichs, F. Cargnelutti, P. Michalik
Summary: Through behavioral and morphological studies, we found that the male reproductive organ (procursus) of Gertschiola neuquena, a species belonging to an early branched and understudied spider subfamily, interacts with the female reproductive organ during copulation. Micro-CT analysis of mating pairs revealed that the long and filiform procursus is inserted deeply into the female spermatheca, while the intromittent sclerite (embolus) only reaches the most distal part of the female sperm storage organ. Histological data showed that sperm are present in the proximal part of the spermatheca. This is the first case in spiders where the sperm allocation function of the intromittent sclerite is replaced by another structure.
ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Dante Poy, Luis N. Piacentini, Shou-Wang Lin, Leonel A. Martinez, Martin J. Ramirez, Peter Michalik
Summary: Spiders have evolved a unique sperm transfer system, where the male copulatory organs on the tarsus of the pedipalps not only allow sperm transfer, but also provide a mechanical interlock with the female genitalia. Researchers have discovered that some spider lineages have lost certain elements of the copulatory organ but have evolved a femoral apophysis instead, which serves a self-bracing function during mating.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
