Article
Plant Sciences
Benwen Liu, Huan Zhu, Zhijuan Zhao, Qian Xiong, Guoxiang Liu, Zhengyu Hu
Summary: This study confirmed that the green algal genus Oncosaccus, endemic to China, actually belongs to the order Chaetopeltidales instead of Chlamydomondales, based on molecular data and ultrastructure analysis. The morphological features of Oncosaccus tetrasporoides were found to be similar to Chaetopeltis and Pseudulvella, supporting its placement within the Chaetopeltidales.
Article
Horticulture
Yongsan Zeng, Xiaoguan Chen, Yibei Ni, Chen Zhao, James Kerns, Lane Tredway, Joseph Roberts
Summary: The turfgrass industry in Guangdong province, China has experienced rapid development, with a large number of golf courses in the area. Recent surveys have identified five prevalent plant-parasitic nematodes, with Mesocriconema xenoplax and Meloidogyne graminis being the most common. Morphological and molecular characterization of these species has been conducted, providing valuable information for future research on pathogenicity, relationships with other pathogens, and control measures for these turf nematodes.
Article
Microbiology
Wenya Song, Tengyue Zhang, Jingyi Dong, Xiaotian Luo, William A. Bourland, Yurui Wang
Summary: This study identified two new urostylid ciliates, Heterobakuella bergeri gen. nov., sp. nov. and Anteholosticha perezuzae sp. nov., from Chinese wetland samples. Heterobakuella gen. nov. is distinguished by its unique cirral arrangement, while Anteholosticha perezuzae is characterized by a slender body shape and distinctive cortical granules. Phylogenetic analyses revealed non-monophyletic trends within the genus Anteholosticha.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Peng Zhang, Jie Liu, Xiao-Ming Yin, Jun-Yu Zhou, Julius Lukes, Zhao-Rong Lun, De-Hua Lai
Summary: This study presents a detailed phylogenetic and haplotype diversity analysis of freshwater fish trypanosomes, proposing three scenarios for distinguishing T. carassii from other aquatic trypanosomes. The findings support the existence of an umbrella complex composed of T. carassii and two sister species.
MARINE LIFE SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Wenya Song, Xiaotian Luo, Yong Chi, Saleh A. Al-Farraj, Chen Shao
Summary: Ciliates play important roles in ecological, environmental, evolutionary, and ontogenetic research. This study identifies the phylogenetic position of Chaetospira sinica sp. nov. and provides morphological and morphogenetic data to support its validity. Additionally, the morphologic and molecular data of exconjugant cells are provided.
MARINE LIFE SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Mohammed Ahmed, Oleksandr Holovachov
Summary: Advancements in DNA sequencing and molecular phylogenetics have greatly impacted our understanding of nematode evolution, leading to significant changes in classification. While the current classification of Nematoda does not always accurately reflect their evolutionary relationships, further research and improvements are needed to better understand the phylogeny of this diverse group of animals.
Article
Cell Biology
Elena Kezlya, Yevhen Maltsev, Sergei Genkal, Zinaida Krivova, Maxim Kulikovskiy
Summary: The morphology, ultrastructure, and phylogeny of eight soil diatom strains assigned to the Pinnularia genus were studied, with six new species identified and described for the first time. Molecular phylogeny reconstruction grouped the new strains with different subclades within Pinnularia. Fatty acid profiles of the algae cultured on specific medium showed high yields of saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids, making the novel Pinnularia strains promising feedstock for biofuel production.
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Xiaotian Luo, Jie Huang, Honggang Ma, Yujie Liu, Xiaoteng Lu, William A. Bourland
Summary: In contrast to most hypotrich ciliates that inhabit the benthos, only a few species of the genus Hypotrichidium have adapted to a planktonic lifestyle. This study investigates the interphase morphology and ontogenetic process of Hypotrichidium tisiae, redefining its ciliary pattern. The morphogenetic features and phylogenetic analyses support the assignment of Hypotrichidium to the family Spirofilidae within Postoralida, as well as the establishment of separate families for slender tubicolous spirofilids and highly helical spirofilids.
MARINE LIFE SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biology
Tanja Plieger, Matthias Wolf
Summary: Protothecosis is an infectious disease caused by organisms in the green algal genus Prototheca, which can manifest in various ways. Taxonomic validity is crucial for diagnostics. Phylogenetic analyses using ITS2 and 18S rDNA data have revealed independent evolutionary events in certain species within the Prototheca genus.
Article
Zoology
Wenxin Xu, Jiyang Ma, Yuan Li, William A. Bourland, Giulio Petroni, Xiaotian Luo, Weibo Song
Summary: This study investigates a new hypotrich ciliate species from a freshwater fishpond based on morphological, morphogenetic, and molecular data. The phylogenetic analyses reveal a close relationship between the new species and Simplicitergida, leading to the proposal of a new family, Clampidae fam. nov.
ZOOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Aman Nangru, Biswa Ranjan Maharana, Sukhdeep Vohra, Binod Kumar, Anita Ganguly, Subhasish Sahu, Harpreet Singh, Swati Ruhil, Vikas Khichar
Summary: The present study aimed to identify, characterize, and assess the risk factors of Theileria infection among sheep in Haryana province, north India. Blood samples were collected from March 2020 to September 2021, and Theileria spp. infection was detected through light microscopy and nested PCR. Molecular characterization revealed the dominance of T. ovis, followed by T. lestoquardi, T. luwenshuni, and T. annulata. Mixed infection and significant hematological changes were observed. Age, sex, and zone were found to be associated with Theileria infection. This study provides important insights for developing control strategies against these haemoparasitic infections.
ANIMAL BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Svetlana N. Kovalchuk
Summary: Theileriae are intracellular protozoan parasites transmitted by ixodid ticks that infect both wild and domestic ruminants. Theileriosis causes significant economic losses in the livestock industry worldwide. The study in Russia detected Theileria parasites in cattle and found that they share a common genotype with other pathogenic strains from different countries.
TICKS AND TICK-BORNE DISEASES
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Hirono Suzuki, Alexandre Detain, Youngjin Park, Kiron Viswanath, Rene H. Wijffels, Nathalie Leborgne-Castel, Lenka Prochazkova, Chris J. Hulatt
Summary: Snow algae blooms in melting snowfields are poorly understood in terms of their biology, biogeography, and species diversity. This study investigated eight isolates from red snow in northern Norway using morphology and genetic markers. Six isolates were assigned to known species, while two isolates were potentially new species. Further experiments revealed differences in growth rate and fatty acid profiles among strains, as well as the accumulation of lipids under physiological stress. This study provides new insights into the biodiversity and biogeography of snow algae, as well as their physiological traits and ecological properties.
FEMS MICROBIOLOGY ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Qian Xiong, Yuxin Hu, Xiaoqi Dong, Yangliang Chen, Guoxiang Liu, Zhengyu Hu
Summary: This study determined the transcriptomes of eight Oedogoniales species to analyze their phylogenetic and evolutionary relationships. It revealed that Oedogonium is polyphyletic and suggested multiple terrestrialization events in Oedogoniales.
Article
Microbiology
Urania Lortou, Emmanuel Panteris, Spyros Gkelis
Summary: Using a polyphasic approach, this study investigated and characterized 18 Chlorophyta isolates. Results revealed the establishment of four new genera and five new species, with some of them being reported for the first time in specific aquatic environments.
Article
Plant Sciences
Yvonne Nemcova, Jana Faturova, Jana Kreidlova
Summary: In this paper, a new species Mallomonas decora is described based on silica-scale morphology. The species belongs to the Torquatae section and exhibits distinct characteristics that differentiate it from Mallomonas dickii and Mallomonas ocalensis.
Article
Microbiology
Dovile Barcyte, Martin Pusztai, Pavel Skaloud, Marek Elias
Summary: In this study, a new alga, Adglutina synurophila gen. et sp. nov., was described based on morphological and molecular phylogenetic analyses. It was isolated from colonies of the golden-brown alga Synura petersenii and belongs to the phylogroup Moewusinia. Adglutina is characterized by its unique morphology and its relationship with acidophilic Chlamydomonas species.
Article
Biology
Tomas Panek, Dovile Barcyte, Sebastian C. Treitli, Kristina Zahonova, Martin Sokol, Tereza Sevcikova, Eliska Zadrobilkova, Karin Jaske, Naoji Yubuki, Ivan Cepicka, Marek Elias
Summary: By studying the newly discovered non-photosynthetic lineage Leontynka, new insights into organellar genome evolution in Chlamydomonadales can be gained. Leontynka’s unique characteristics of plastid and mitochondrial genomes make it an interesting model for studying organellar genome evolution.
Article
Cell Biology
Skylar Dewees, Romana Vargova, Katherine R. Hardin, Rachel E. Turn, Saroja Devi, Joshua Linnert, Uwe Wolfrum, Tamara Caspary, Marek Elias, Richard A. Kahn
Summary: The ancient ARF family of regulatory GTPases includes ARL16, which may regulate the trafficking pathway from the Golgi to cilia.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY OF THE CELL
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Romana Vargova, Pavla Hanouskova, Jana Salamonova, David Zihala, Jeffrey D. Silberman, Marek Elias, Ivan Cepicka
Summary: In this study, detailed microscopic and transcriptome analyses were conducted on a poorly documented strain of an anaerobic free-living marine flagellate, PCS, in the CL3 fornicate lineage. The researchers discovered a new member of the Caviomonadidae family, Euthynema mutabile, which possesses an ultrastructurally discernible MRO. Transcriptome analyses also showed unique amino acid substitutions in I. spirale's eRF1 protein domain responsible for termination codon recognition. The study suggests that the CL3 clade has undergone a hydrogenosome-to-mitosome transition independent from that previously documented in the lineage leading to Giardia.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Aleksandar Stanojkovic, Svatopluk Skoupy, Pavel Skaloud, Petr Dvorak
Summary: The sympatric occurrence of closely related lineages displaying conserved morphological and ecological traits is characteristic of free-living microbes. Gene flow, recombination, selection, and mutations govern the genetic variability between these cryptic lineages and drive their differentiation. However, insufficient population-level sampling has hindered the study of intra-species genetic diversity and speciation in cyanobacteria. In this study, using phylogenomics and a population genomic approach, the authors investigated the extent of local genomic diversity and the mechanisms underlying sympatric speciation in Laspinema thermale. They found two cryptic lineages of Laspinema with high genetic diversity. Recombination occurred more frequently within the lineages, suggesting a barrier to gene flow that maintains divergence. Genomic regions associated with possible adaptations to different environmental conditions were found, indicating the influence of both genomic and ecological processes on Laspinema species diversification.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Josef Elster, Claude-Eric Souquieres, Iva Jadrna, Pavel Skaloud, Janne E. Soreide, Jana Kviderova
Summary: The high Arctic Svalbard tidal flat ecosystem is being affected by global warming, leading to the potential invasion of additional species and changes in the environment. Increased human travel to Svalbard increases the possibility of species transportation. Anthropogenic activities related to global warming have facilitated the movement of organisms across previously isolated regions, contributing to biotic homogenization and extinctions. The study focused on the invasive alga Vaucheria aff. compacta in Adventfjorden tidal flat, providing information on its occurrence, ecological state, and future development. Using a drone mapping survey, the estimated area cover of V. aff. compacta was approximately 231.1 m2 across a tidal flat area of 2475 m2. The invasive V. aff. compacta is a cosmopolitan species widely distributed on coastal shores globally. It plays an important role in the Adventforden sea-land ecotone, stabilizing sediment, protecting the seashore ecosystem, and facilitating the greening of the Arctic due to global warming.
ESTUARINE COASTAL AND SHELF SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Ivana Cernajova, Jana Steinova, Zuzana Skvorova, Pavel Skaloud
Summary: Cladonia luteoalba's chemotype coincides with that of the associated Cladonia thalli, but our data did not support its distinction as a separate species. Therefore, the true nature of C. luteoalba remains unclear.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Dovile Barcyte, Martina Zatopkova, Yvonne Nemcova, Michal Richtar, Tatiana Yurchenko, Karin Jaske, Karen P. Fawley, Pavel Skaloud, Tereza Seveikova, Marvin W. Fawley, Marek Elias
Summary: This study investigates the diversity, phylogeny, and classification of the Eustigmataceae group within the Eustigmatophyceae. Through comprehensive analyses of hundreds of DNA sequences and plastid genomes, the researchers reveal the phylogenetic relationships within the Eustigmataceae group and confirm the presence of Chlorobotrys as a member of this group. Additionally, the study redefines the taxonomic name of this group and provides insights into the morphology and flagellar protein genes of Chlorobotryaceae members. Overall, this research provides a comprehensive understanding of one of the most diverse lineages of eustigmatophyte algae.
MOLECULAR PHYLOGENETICS AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Letter
Plant Sciences
Veronica Malavasi, Pavel Skaloud
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Jiri Neustupa, Jan Stastny, Katerina Woodard
Summary: This study focused on the community structure of desmids, one of the most frequent groups of peatland phytobenthos in the Bohemian Massif. It found that several ecologically sensitive taxa were recorded in the fragments of ombrogenous bogs, which currently cover less than 3% of the area. The highest species richness was recorded in several slightly acidic ponds and sinkholes, which were often located outside the existing protected areas.
BIODIVERSITY AND CONSERVATION
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Emma E. George, Dovile Barcyte, Gordon Lax, Sam Livingston, Daria Tashyreva, Filip Husnik, Julius Lukes, Marek Elias, Patrick J. Keeling
Summary: Symbiosis between prokaryotes and microbial eukaryotes has had a significant impact on evolution and ecology. A highly complex community of endosymbionts and a bacteriophage were found within a single Cryptomonad cell. These findings provide insights into organelle evolution and the dynamics of endosymbiotic relationships.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Shaghayegh Sheikh, Tomas Panek, Ondrej Gahura, Jiri Tyc, Kristina Zahonova, Julius Lukes, Marek Elias, Hassan Hashimi
Summary: The study identifies a novel GTPase called MidX that is present in eukaryotes and giant viruses, and it is predicted to affect mitochondrial morphology by interacting with the inner membrane. MidX has a unique structure and mode of action compared to other proteins with similar functions.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Biology
Ladislav Hodac, Kevin Karbstein, Salvatore Tomasello, Jana Waeldchen, John Paul Bradican, Elvira Hoerandl
Summary: This study evaluated phenotypic variation in the Eurasian Ranunculus auricomus complex using geometric morphometric, genomic, and ecological data. The results showed that genomic clusters largely corresponded to morphological groupings, but most described asexual hybrid taxa could not be distinguished from each other. Phenotypic variation was influenced more by genomic composition than by climatic conditions, and the phenotypic variation of asexual hybrids exhibited a mosaic pattern of intermediate and transgressive phenotypes. Therefore, this study supports a taxonomic revision of the complex.
Article
Plant Sciences
Dovile Barcyte, Marek Elias
Summary: This study discovered a new genus in the order Chaetopeltidales, expanding our understanding of its diversity and providing insight into its virosphere.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY
(2023)