Article
Plant Sciences
Wen-Hsuan Chen, Anthony Bain, Sheng-Yang Wang, Yi-Chiao Ho, Hsy-Yu Tzeng
Summary: The vegetative and reproductive growth of plants play a crucial role in regulating the interactions within an ecosystem. In the case of plant-insect interactions, plants use visual and chemical cues to signal their reproductive period. Ficus mutualism, however, relies solely on chemical cues for the figs to attract pollinating wasps. This study examines the phenological pattern and volatile compound emissions of Ficus septica in Central Taiwan. The results show that the fig species displays continuous growth throughout the year, with a decrease in winter. The emissions of odor blends from male and female trees are similar, but with seasonal variations, and are influenced by the size of the wasp population.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ting Zhang, K. Charlotte Jander, Jian-Feng Huang, Bo Wang, Jiang-Bo Zhao, Bai-Ge Miao, Yan-Qiong Peng, Edward Allen Herre
Summary: This study examined two functionally distinct Eupristina wasp species associated with Ficus microcarpa in Yunnan Province, China, revealing one as a competent pollinator and the other as a parasitic species dramatically impacting the reproductive success of its host. The parasitic species displayed greater relative fitness in competitions with the pollinators, and phylogenetic analyses suggested their sister taxon relationship. Unlike existing studies, this research found no evidence of host sanctions affecting the reproductive success of nonpollinating wasps, likely promoting the evolution of cheating.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Entomology
Lianfu Chen, Simon T. Segar, Bhanumas Chantarasuwan, Da-Mien Wong, Rong Wang, Xiaoyong Chen, Hui Yu
Summary: Research on fig wasps has contributed significantly to understanding insect-plant interactions, but the molecular mechanisms of fig wasp host specificity remain poorly understood. This study presents a large-scale transcriptomic dataset of 25 fig wasp species, revealing potential genetic mechanisms underlying specific host adaptation. The findings shed light on the evolutionary diversification and host specificity of fig wasps, and contribute to the growing dataset on fig wasp genomics.
Article
Mathematics, Interdisciplinary Applications
Lin Wang, Rui-Wu Wang
Summary: Research using mathematical models and field data has discovered chaotic behavior in mutualistic systems, suggesting that host regulation and environmental variation together can lead to population chaos.
CHAOS SOLITONS & FRACTALS
(2022)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Hui Yu, Xiaojue Nong, Songle Fan, Chantarasuwan Bhanumas, Xiaoxia Deng, Rong Wang, Xiaoyong Chen, Stephen G. Compton
Summary: This study investigates the chemoreception mechanisms in fig wasps by analyzing their transcriptome sequences. The evolution of odorant and gustatory receptor genes in these wasps shows significant variation among species. The findings provide insights into the molecular basis of the chemosensory systems in fig wasps.
Review
Ecology
Renee M. Borges
Summary: The relationship between figs and gall-inducing wasps is a unique mutualism between plants and insects, with many unexplored areas to be studied. This review evaluates the current knowledge on this relationship and calls for an integrated research approach to address the valuable questions in this field.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Xiaoxia Deng, Lianfu Chen, Enwei Tian, Dayong Zhang, Tanming Wattana, Hui Yu, Finn Kjellberg, Simon T. Segar
Summary: Researchers aim to study the geographical differences, community composition, and structures of non-pollinating fig wasps and pollinating fig wasps using pan-tropical fig-wasp communities. They found that non-pollinating wasps have more stable distributions across different geographic locations compared to pollinating wasps, but still exhibit differences. The segregation among different non-pollinating wasp species suggests the influence of factors such as resource competition and local adaptation.
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Lianfu Chen, Chao Feng, Rong Wang, Xiaojue Nong, Xiaoxia Deng, Xiaoyong Chen, Hui Yu
Summary: This study presents a high-quality chromosome-level genome for the fig wasp Valisa javana using PacBio long-read and Illumina short-read sequencing. The genome assembly revealed expanded and positively selected genes associated with the fig wasp's ability to live in its specific host. Additionally, differentially expressed genes involved in olfactory signal transduction pathways were identified. This study provides valuable insights into the mechanisms underlying the fig wasp's adaptive traits and co-speciation with its host.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Arkady Wey, Alan Champneys, Rosemary J. Dyson, Nisreen A. Alwan, Mary Barker
Summary: The study investigates the impact of different levels of transparency among workers in a workplace on a pandemic. The results show that transparency can maximize productivity and minimize infection rates.
JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY INTERFACE
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Lisette van Kolfschoten, Lovisa Duck, Martin Lind, K. Charlotte Jander
Summary: Pollinating insects are decreasing worldwide, which is affecting plants that rely on them for fruit production. The projected temperature increases may severely affect plants that rely on insect pollinators, especially in highly specialized mutualisms. In the mutualism between fig trees and fig wasps, increasing temperatures decrease fig wasp lifespan, which could jeopardize fruit set and survival of the mutualism.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Justin Van Goor, Natsumi Kanzaki, Gavin Woodruff
Summary: Fig species have complex ecological networks with numerous organisms, including pollinating and non-pollinating fig wasps. This review focuses on the understudied nematode groups that have an obligate association with pollinating fig wasps and replicate inside fig syconia. The review outlines the known species distributions, evolutionary history, and key biological features of these nematode groups. It also addresses conundrums and gaps in knowledge, emphasizing the importance of understanding fig nematodes for studying interspecific interactions, development, adaptation, and co-evolution.
ACTA OECOLOGICA-INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence
Caimao Tan, Wei Yan, Jiantao Yue
Summary: This paper investigates the automated quay crane scheduling problem for the automated container terminal by decomposing the operation process and formulating it as a mixed integrated programming model. The numerical experiments analyze the quantitative relation between operation efficiency and energy consumption through case studies. Sensitivity analysis of task ratios is also presented, providing a theoretical reference for the study on balancing operation efficiency and energy consumption at the operational level.
ADVANCED ENGINEERING INFORMATICS
(2021)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Asfand Yar Ali, Akhtar Hussain, Ju-Won Baek, Hak-Man Kim
Summary: This study proposes a trade-off scheme between resilience and peak shaving, utilizing a local static battery energy storage system (BESS) in charging stations to address the challenges posed by electric vehicles (EVs) to the power network. An optimal window size for storing energy in the BESS is determined to ensure EV resilience during contingencies while prioritizing either peak shaving or resilience based on the time of day. An optimization algorithm is developed to minimize system costs while maintaining resilience and maximizing peak shaving. Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed scheme, achieving additional 3.9% peak shaving and 3.41% reduction in operational costs. Sensitivity analysis is also conducted to consider factors that may impact the optimal size of the resilience window, such as market price, EV fleet size, and BESS size.
JOURNAL OF ENERGY STORAGE
(2022)
Article
Biology
Rebecca T. Batstone, Liana T. Burghardt, Katy D. Heath
Summary: This study examines the (co)evolution of host-associated microbiomes and finds that microbial and host fitness tend to trade-off rather than generating conflict. The results highlight the importance of quantifying microbial relative fitness for understanding microbiome evolution and improving host fitness.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Jun Cao, Tianli Zhang, Hao Xu, Jinghua Liu, Mingyao Hu, Longlong Xi, Hui Wang, Chengbao Jiang
Summary: A comparative investigation between two typical magnets revealed that the probability distribution of Cu concentration and the constituent phases among different cell boundaries are largely responsible for the squareness-coercivity trade-off. This study provides important insights for the collaborative optimization of squareness-coercivity in iron-rich magnets.
SCRIPTA MATERIALIA
(2022)