Article
Ecology
Chinmay Hemant Joshi, John J. Wiens
Summary: Understanding the evolution of eusociality in insects, specifically the role of haplodiploidy, has remained a long-standing and unsolved challenge in evolutionary biology. This study conducted large-scale phylogenetic tests across 874 hexapod families, using three different methods, and found mixed support for the hypothesis that haplodiploidy drives the evolution of eusociality. While two methods supported the association between haplodiploidy and eusociality, there were also discordant patterns and one test was non-significant, indicating that eusociality can also evolve without haplodiploidy in certain groups.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ivan N. Bolotov, Olga V. Aksenova, Ilya V. Vikhrev, Ekaterina S. Konopleva, Yulia E. Chapurina, Alexander V. Kondakov
Summary: The lower Cenomanian Kachin amber from Myanmar contains a species-rich assemblage of numerous plant and animal fossils, dominated by terrestrial and freshwater species with some marine affinities. The newly described Kachin amber piddock dagger could be an ancestral stem lineage of recent Lignopholas piddocks, which bore into wood and mudstone rocks. Multiple records of freshwater invertebrates in the amber support a paleo-environmental reconstruction suggesting a variety of local freshwater environments.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Okhee Choi, Yeyeong Lee, Byeongsam Kang, Su Kyung Cho, Yongsung Kang, Dong-Wan Kang, Seul-Bi Lee, Sung-Mun Bae, Jinwoo Kim
Summary: This study isolated lactic acid bacteria (LAB) from the gut of a pest called Riptortus pedestris and found that these LAB have the ability to survive under gastrointestinal conditions and have beneficial effects on the insect host. Feeding the LAB increased the survival rate of the insects, but did not affect their weight or length. These findings provide fundamental information about the symbiotic relationship between insects and LAB, as well as a novel concept for pest control.
Article
Biology
Nobuaki Mizumoto, Thomas Bourguignon
Summary: The study found that the body size of termites did not unidirectionally reduce, but diversified along with speciation events. This suggests that the evolution of advanced termite societies did not lead to further body size reduction.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Douglas Chesters, Rafael R. Ferrari, Xiaolong Lin, Michael C. Orr, Michael Staab, Chao-Dong Zhu
Summary: The Holy Grail of an Insect Tree of Life can only be 'discovered' through extensive collaboration among taxon specialists, phylogeneticists, and centralized frameworks such as Open Tree of Life, but so far insufficient effort from stakeholders has hampered this promising approach. To address this issue, we establish a new online hub that centralizes the collation of relevant phylogenetic data and provides synthesis molecular phylogenies. The functionality of the framework is demonstrated by constructing a highly supported, species-comprehensive phylogeny of Diptera, which is publicly available at insectphylo.org.
MOLECULAR ECOLOGY RESOURCES
(2023)
Article
Biology
Mariana dos Passos Nunes, Wellington Thadeu de Alcantara Azevedo, Alexandre Sousa da Silva, Claudia Soares dos Santos Lessa, Jeronimo Alencar, Valeria Magalhaes Aguiar
Summary: Performing quantitative sampling and faunistic analysis of dipterans is important for studying population dynamics and diversity. This study compared the attractiveness of fresh and decomposed liver as bait for capturing dipteran species. The results showed that decomposed liver was more attractive in forest and rural environments, while fresh liver was more attractive in urban environments. The faunistic analysis revealed higher species richness in the forest area, and Laneela nigripes and Mesembrinella bellardiana were identified as good bioindicators in undisturbed environments.
Article
Entomology
Xiaona Chen, Miao Zhong, Lixing Cui, Jiasheng Xu, Xiaohua Dai, Xiaojing Liu
Summary: The elevational diversity patterns of leaf-mining insects in China have been poorly understood. In this study, the diversity of leaf miners on a specific oak species was investigated using Hill numbers. The results showed hump-shaped elevational patterns for most diversity metrics. Further research is needed to identify the driving factors behind the elevational distribution of leaf miners.
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Jose Manuel Latorre-Estivalis, Francisca C. Almeida, Gina Pontes, Hernan Dopazo, Romina B. Barrozo, Marcelo Gustavo Lorenzo
Summary: This study analyzed the genomes of 26 insect species to characterize the evolution of PPK receptors, identifying lineage-specific expansions and potential new targets for pest control. The research also found prevalent PPKs with highly conserved functions in certain insect species, as well as calmodulin-binding motifs that may amplify sensory responses.
GENOME BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Diyona Putri, Masanori Yokozawa, Toshiro Yamanaka, Adam L. Cronin
Summary: Invasive ant populations exhibit trait plasticity in behavior and diet, showing differences from native populations. Some invasive populations demonstrate the formation of 'supercolonies'.
Article
Microbiology
Garance Sarton-Loheac, Carlos Gustavo Nunes da Silva, Florent Mazel, Gilles Baud, Vincent de Bakker, Sudip Das, Yassine El Chazli, Kirsten Ellegaard, Marc Garcia-Garcera, Natasha Glover, Joanito Liberti, Lorena Nacif Marcal, Aiswarya Prasad, Vincent Somerville, German Bonilla-Rosso, Philipp Engel
Summary: Genomic data from six neotropical stingless bee species from Brazil revealed that most stingless bee gut bacteria are distantly related to those found in honey bees and bumblebees but have similar functional capabilities. The evolution of the social bee gut microbiota involved host switches and independent symbiont gain and losses, rather than strict codiversification. There was also substantial genomic divergence among strains of stingless bee gut bacteria, suggesting adaptation to different host species and glycan niches.
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Lubos Hrivniak, Pavel Sroka, Roman J. Godunko, Peter Manko, Jindriska Bojkova
Summary: This study explores the diversification of cold-tolerant mayflies in the south-eastern Greater Caucasus. It finds a new evolutionary lineage and shows that the diversification pattern corresponds to the process of mountain formation. The results suggest the important role of mountain building in biodiversity.
SYSTEMATIC ENTOMOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Hongru Su, Eri Onoda, Hitoshi Tai, Hiromi Fujita, Shigetoshi Sakabe, Kentaro Azuma, Shigehiro Akachi, Saori Oishi, Fuyuki Abe, Shuji Ando, Norio Ohashi
Summary: This study conducted a molecular-based taxonomic and ecological characterization of uncultured Ehrlichia species or genotypes from ticks in Japan, discovering potentially new Ehrlichia species through PCR screening and gene sequencing. From an ecological viewpoint, the amounts of ehrlichiae in a single tick were found to be variable.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Entomology
Jan Peter Reinier de Vries, Emiel van Loon, Paulo A. Borges
Summary: The research on arthropod diversity in native forests on Terceira Island found that total species richness decreases with elevation for most species, with peaks at mid-high elevation for spiders and endemic species. These patterns are likely driven by climatic factors and human disturbance, showcasing the importance of studying biodiversity along elevation gradients.
Article
Biology
Benjamin M. Marshall, Colin T. Strine, Caroline S. Fukushima, Pedro Cardoso, Michael C. Orr, Alice C. Hughes
Summary: Trade in arachnids involves millions of individuals, with over 70% coming from the wild. While the impacts of trade in some species are well-known, others, such as invertebrates, are often overlooked. Better data and conservation status assessments are needed for sustainable trade.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Xinyang Huang, David L. Erickson, Jianghong Meng
Summary: There has been a surge of interest in the impact of microbial diversity on human health, food safety, and environmental functions. Accurately measuring the diversity and structure of these communities is crucial for understanding their effects. PhyloPlus, a web portal developed in this study, allows users to generate customized phylogenies for bacterial or archaeal communities, enabling more accurate descriptions and preventing misleading conclusions.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ambar Kachale, Zuzana Pavlikova, Anna Nenarokova, Adriana Roithova, Ignacio M. Durante, Petra Miletinova, Kristina Zahonova, Serafim Nenarokov, Jan Votypka, Eva Horakova, Robert L. Ross, Vyacheslav Yurchenko, Petra Beznoskova, Zdenek Paris, Leos Shivaya Valasek, Julius Lukes
Summary: The study discovered that Blastocrithidia nonstop, a protist, lacks in-frame stop codons in its genes. It is believed that UGA was previously a stop codon, but has now been reprogrammed as a tryptophan codon due to a deficiency in one of the bases. A mutation in a gene called B. nonstop release factor 1 was also found to restrict recognition of UGA, thereby enhancing its reassignment.
Review
Parasitology
Vyacheslav Yurchenko, Daniil S. Chistyakov, Lyudmila Akhmadishina, Alexander N. Lukashev, Jovana Sadlova, Margarita Strelkova
Summary: In this study, we reviewed historical and recent data on Leishmaniaspp. infection in several countries including Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Iran, China, and Mongolia. We focused on a complex of co-existing species and their shared reservoirs and vectors. Additionally, we analyzed the presence of dsRNA viruses in these species and discussed future research directions to understand the susceptibility of different Leishmaniaspp. to viral infection.
Article
Microbiology
Jana Pilatova, Daria Tashyreva, Jiri Tyc, Marie Vancova, Syed Nadeem Hussain Bokhari, Radim Skoupy, Mariana Klementova, Hendrik Kupper, Peter Mojzes, Julius Lukes
Summary: This study reveals that diplonemids, a group of marine planktonic protists, are capable of accumulating large amounts of barite and celestite crystals. These organisms have the potential to impact the cycling of barium and strontium in the ocean and contribute to the formation of sedimentary rocks. These findings provide new insights into the enrichment of barium and strontium proxies used in paleoceanographic reconstructions of global climate.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Alexandra Zakharova, Daria Tashyreva, Anzhelika Butenko, Jorge Morales, Andreu Saura, Michaela Svobodova, Gereon Poschmann, Satish Nandipati, Alena Zakharova, David Noyvert, Ondrej Gahura, Jiri Tyc, Kai Stuehler, Alexei Y. Kostygov, Eva C. M. Nowack, Julius Lukes, Vyacheslav Yurchenko
Summary: A host-encoded protein called TMP18e plays a critical role in regulating the vertical inheritance of endosymbiotic bacteria in eukaryotes. TMP18e is expressed at higher levels during the proliferative stage of the host life cycle, when the bacteria are confined to the nuclear vicinity. Ablation of TMP18e disrupts the association between the nucleus and the endosymbiont bacteria, resulting in increased variability of bacterial cell numbers and a higher proportion of aposymbiotic cells.
Correction
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ambar Kachale, Zuzana Pavlikova, Anna Nenarokova, Adriana Roithova, Ignacio M. Durante, Petra Miletinova, Kristina Zahonova, Serafim Nenarokov, Jan Votypka, Eva Horakova, Robert L. Ross, Vyacheslav Yurchenko, Petra Beznoskova, Zdenek Paris, Leos Shivaya Valasek, Julius Lukes
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Drahomira Faktorova, Kristina Zahonova, Corinna Benz, Joel B. Dacks, Mark C. Field, Julius Lukes
Summary: Sec13 plays multiple roles in different cellular processes as a component of COPII endoplasmic reticulum export vesicle coat, nuclear pore complex (NPC), and Seh1-associated (SEA)/GATOR nutrient-sensing complex. Euglenozoa possesses two Sec13 paralogues, with Sec13a interacting with COPII and NPC, and Sec13b interacting with Sec16 and SEA/GATOR complex. This suggests a distinct organization of coatomer complexes in euglenozoan flagellates.
Article
Infectious Diseases
Tatiana S. Novozhilova, Daniil S. Chistyakov, Lyudmila V. Akhmadishina, Alexander N. Lukashev, Evgeny S. Gerasimov, Vyacheslav Yurchenko
Summary: The evolution of Leishmania is influenced by clonality, sexual reproduction, and geographic isolation. Leishmania turanica populations in Central Asia can be mixed with other species or monospecific and isolated. Genetic analysis revealed no significant differences in the evolution of mixed and monospecific L. turanica populations. However, there were variations in large-scale genomic rearrangements, with genome translocations being the most prominent example. Additionally, L. turanica exhibited a higher level of chromosomal copy number variation compared to its sister species L. major, suggesting active evolutionary adaptation.
PLOS NEGLECTED TROPICAL DISEASES
(2023)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Anastassia Bykova, Andreu Saura, Galina V. Glazko, Abiel Roche-Lima, Vyacheslav Yurchenko, Igor B. Rogozin
Summary: The ORF8 gene in SARS-CoV has a characteristic 29-nucleotide deletion, resulting in the formation of ORF8a and ORF8b. Both of these genes are likely to be functionally important, as indicated by the higher frequency of synonymous mutations compared to nonsynonymous ones.
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Amanda T. S. Albanaz, Mark Carrington, Alexander O. Frolov, Anna I. Ganyukova, Evgeny S. Gerasimov, Alexei Y. Kostygov, Julius Lukes, Marina N. Malysheva, Jan Votypka, Alexandra Zakharova, Kristina Zahonova, Sara L. Zimmer, Vyacheslav Yurchenko, Anzhelika Butenko
Summary: This study conducted genome sequencing and analysis on previously overlooked trypanosomatid species, revealing their genomic diversity and chromosomal variations. The findings provide a solid foundation for future research on the genetic basis of life cycle changes and adaptation to different hosts in this species.
Article
Parasitology
Donnamae Klocek, Danyil Grybchuk, Lucie Ticha, Jan Votypka, Petr Volf, Alexei Yu. Kostygov, Vyacheslav Yurchenko
Summary: This work analyzed RNA viruses in Sauroleishmania spp. and found RNA viruses in three out of seven isolates, belonging to the families Narnaviridae and Totiviridae. Phylogenetic inferences showed that totiviruses from L. adleri and L. tarentolae clustered with LRV2s, while a narnavirus from L. gymnodactyli was related to narnaviruses of Blechomonas spp. This study expanded the understanding of RNA virus-host interactions in trypanosomatids and provided insights into their evolution and potential routes of viral transmission.
PARASITOLOGY RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Jana Vesela-Strejcova, Eleonora Scalco, Adriana Zingone, Sebastien Colin, Luigi Caputi, Diana Sarno, Jana Nebesarova, Chris Bowler, Julius Lukes
Summary: This study investigates the marine phytoplankton microflora from the vicinity of the Marquesas Islands in the Southern Pacific Ocean. A total of 289 taxa were identified, with Dinophyceae and Bacillariophyceae making up the majority. Coccolithophores and other flagellates contributed less than 8% to the species list. The microscopy-based methods revealed several unknown and poorly studied taxa.
Article
Microbiology
Daria Tashyreva, Jiri Tyc, Ales Horak, Julius Lukes
Summary: This study provides a detailed three-dimensional model of a previously undescribed diplonemid species using serial block-face scanning and transmission electron microscopy. The study also describes the cell division process and identifies a novel, ultrastructurally complex organelle.
Article
Cell Biology
Jan Pyrih, Michael Hammond, Aline Alves, Samuel Dean, Jack Daniel Sunter, Richard John Wheeler, Keith Gull, Julius Lukes
Summary: The generated MitoTag dataset provides new insights into the mitochondrial proteome of Trypanosoma brucei, identifying previously undescribed proteins and revealing sub-compartment localization and novel metabolic pathways.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Tomas Erban, Kamila Parizkova, Bruno Sopko, Pavel Talacko, Martin Markovic, Jana Jarosova, Jan Votypka
Summary: A challenge in bee protection is to assess the risks of pesticide-pathogen interactions. This study found that both Lotmaria passim parasite and imidacloprid pesticide may affect the physiology, behavior, immunity, microbiome, and lifespan of honey bees. Cage experiments showed that imidacloprid increased the infection rate and load of L. passim in individual bees. Proteomic analysis revealed that imidacloprid neutralized the effect of L. passim on transferrin 1 expression.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Markus Osaland Fjelde, Einar Timdal, Reidar Haugan, Mika Bendiksby
Summary: This study investigated the taxonomy of the crustose lichen genus Calvitimela using molecular phylogenetics and morphological observations. The results revealed evolutionarily old and deeply divergent lineages within Calvitimela, with overlapping morphological characters between different subgenera. Chemical characters were informative at the level of subgenera but often homoplastic at the species level. A practical taxonomy of Calvitimela was proposed based on these findings.
MOLECULAR PHYLOGENETICS AND EVOLUTION
(2024)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Bo-Yang Shi, Da Pan, Kang-Qin Zhang, Tian-Yu Gu, Darren C. J. Yeo, Peter K. L. Ng, Neil Cumberlidge, Hong-Ying Sun
Summary: This study investigates the evolutionary history and speciation mechanisms of montane potamids in the Hengduan Mountains Region. The results suggest that the vicariance events of these crabs are correlated with the emergence of sky islands due to the uplift of the mountains. The mountain ridges provided corridors for their dispersal and past climatic conditions played a crucial role in their evolutionary history. The mechanisms isolating sky islands are reinforced by the climatic features of dry-hot valleys and continue to affect local diversification.
MOLECULAR PHYLOGENETICS AND EVOLUTION
(2024)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Attila Nemeth, Edvard Mizsei, Levente Laczko, David Czaban, Zsolt Hegyeli, Szabolcs Lengyel, Gabor Csorba, Gabor Sramko
Summary: Species delimitation of European blind mole rats is challenging due to their small morphological differences and complex chromosomal evolution. This study provides a comprehensive framework to improve understanding of their evolutionary history and revise their taxonomy. The results reveal the presence of multiple superspecies and species, with distinct geographic patterns and rapid chromosomal evolution.
MOLECULAR PHYLOGENETICS AND EVOLUTION
(2024)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ying Qi, Zhaoyan Zhong, Xu Liu, Xing He, Yadong Zhou, Lili Zhang, Chong Chen, Katrin Linse, Jian-Wen Qiu, Jin Sun
Summary: This study investigates the phylogenetic relationships among patellogastropod families using mitochondrial and phylogenomic data. The results show that the mitochondrial phylogeny recovers monophyly of most families, but the relationships among families are still contentious. However, a more robust family-level topology consistent with morphology is achieved by phylogenomics. Additionally, the mainly deep-water families are found to be monophyletic, suggesting a single colonization of the deep water during the Jurassic.
MOLECULAR PHYLOGENETICS AND EVOLUTION
(2024)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yu-Jie Shi, Jin -Liang Huang, Jia-Xuan Mi, Jing Li, Fan-Yu Meng, Yu Zhong, Fang He, Fei -Fei Tian, Fan Zhang, Liang-Hua Chen, Han-Bo Yang, Hong-Lin Hu, Xue-Qin Wan
Summary: Despite numerous studies on hybrid speciation, our understanding of this process remains limited. In this study, we conducted an 18-year systematic investigation on Populus taxa on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and discovered three new taxa that originated from distant hybridization between two different sections. These hybrid taxa demonstrate greater ecological adaptability than their ancestral species due to heterosis. We propose a hybrid speciation process model that can explain important evolutionary concerns.
MOLECULAR PHYLOGENETICS AND EVOLUTION
(2024)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Anna Cho, Denis Tikhonenkov, Gordon Lax, Kristina I. Prokina, Patrick J. Keeling
Summary: Unlike conspicuous ochrophytes, many small and overlooked flagellates belonging to basally branching stramenopiles remain poorly characterized at the cellular or genomic level. This study describes four new species, including two new genera, of sediment-dwelling MAST-6 and provides updated phylogenomic tree of stramenopiles. The characterization of these flagellates is important due to their phylogenetic diversity and abundance in various environments.
MOLECULAR PHYLOGENETICS AND EVOLUTION
(2024)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Tian-Tian Xue, Steven B. Janssens, Bin-Bin Liu, Sheng-Xiang Yu
Summary: Phylogenomic conflicts are widespread among genomic data, with most previous studies primarily focusing on nuclear datasets instead of organellar genomes. In this study, we investigated the phylogenetic conflicts within and between plastid and mitochondrial genomes using Potentilla as a case study. We found that both plastid and mitochondrial genomes divided Potentilla into eight highly supported clades, with two newly identified clades. Our results demonstrate that mitochondrial genes can fully resolve phylogenetic relationships among major clades of Potentilla and are not always linked with plastomes in evolutionary history.
MOLECULAR PHYLOGENETICS AND EVOLUTION
(2024)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Alexandra A. Grossi, Chunpo Tian, Mengjiao Ren, Fasheng Zou, Daniel R. Gustafsson
Summary: This study suggests that the coevolutionary relationships between chewing lice, endosymbiotic bacteria, and birds are not independent, but the patterns vary depending on the analysis method used. Additionally, louse host-switching does not seem to affect bacterial strains.
MOLECULAR PHYLOGENETICS AND EVOLUTION
(2024)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ingrid Olivares, Sergio Tusso, Maria Jose Sanin, Marylaure de La Harpe, Oriane Loiseau, Jonathan Rolland, Nicolas Salamin, Michael Kessler, Kentaro K. Shimizu, Margot Paris
Summary: Traditionally, differences between species have been associated with morphological variation. However, the discovery of cryptic diversity suggests that the evolution of distinct lineages can occur without morphological differences. Through genetic analysis, we found that a tropical montane plant lineage is composed of numerous unrecognized genetic groups that are not morphologically distinct. Geographic distance and topography play a crucial role in determining the genetic divergence of these groups.
MOLECULAR PHYLOGENETICS AND EVOLUTION
(2024)
