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The exploration of efficient, low-leaching, and recyclable transition-metal-based catalysts is of great importance for the removal of pollutants from peroxymonosulfate (PMS) in water purification processes. In this study, a bimetallic CoFe@CSC-700 composite was prepared by an alkaline gel pyrolysis reduction method using chitosan as a forming agent and applied to activate PMS to degrade levofloxacin (LEV). The leaching concentration of both cobalt and iron ions in the CoFe@CSC-700 catalyst was reduced by about 8-fold compared to the monometallic composite pellet catalyst. In addition, the removal efficiency of the CoFe@CSC-700 catalyst can still reach 90% after five cycles, showing good recyclability, recoverability and stability. Both free radical pathways (SO4·−, ·OH, and ·O2−) and non-free radical pathways (1O2) were detected in the oxidation reaction, with free radical pathways as the main contributor. The possible degradation pathways of LEV were proposed by LC-MS tests. Overall, this study provides new insights into the construction of efficient and stable PMS catalysts for wastewater treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Harvested wampee fruit is susceptible to disease, resulting in postharvest losses. Acidic electrolyzed water (AEW), a safe and innovative sterilization technology, plays a role in enhancing disease resistance in harvested produce. In this study, the efficacy of AEW in delaying wampee disease development was assessed, along with its association with disease resistance metabolism. Wampee fruit was treated with AEW (pH 2.5) at different available chlorine concentrations (ACCs) (20, 40, 60, and 80 mg/L) and subsequently stored at 25 °C for 8 days. Results revealed that 40 mg/L ACC in AEW (pH 2.5) was most effective in improving the postharvest quality of wampee fruit. Compared with control wampee fruit, those treated with 40 mg/L ACC in AEW exhibited lower incidence of fruit disease, higher pericarp lignin content, and higher activities of pericarp disease resistance enzymes (DREs), such as cinnamate-4-hydroxylase, phenylalanine ammonia-lyase, chitinase, β-1,3-glucanase, polyphenol oxidase, 4-coumarate CoA ligase, and cinnamyl alcohol dehydrogenase. These results suggested that AEW elevated DRE activities, promoted lignin accumulation, and ultimately enhanced disease resistance, suppressed disease development, and improved storage quality in harvested wampee fruit. Consequently, AEW emerged as a safe technology to mitigate the disease development and enhance the storage quality of harvested wampee fruit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Silkworms are monophagous insects that primarily feed on mulberry leaves. However, in sericulture, cost-effective artificial diets are often used to maximize productivity, which can lead to dietary stress, delayed development, and reduced silk quality in silkworms. Improving silkworms' adaptability to artificial diets is crucial for the sericulture industry. This study aimed to identify key intestinal bacteria taxa that facilitate silkworms' adaptation to dietary transitions by comparing the gut microbiomes of silkworms reared on three different diets: exclusive mulberry leaves, exclusive artificial diet, and a sequential transition from artificial diet to mulberry leaves. Using advanced sequencing techniques and bioinformatic analyses, we discovered that the transitional diet group harbored an intermediary gut microbiota complexity, with specific bacterial groups, such as Lactobacillus and Weissella, potentially aiding in the adaptation process. Our findings provide valuable insights into the adaptation mechanisms of silkworm gut microbiota in response to dietary changes. These results pave the way for developing tailored probiotic supplements that can be added to artificial diets, enhancing silkworms' adaptability and overall health without altering the diet composition. This research holds promise for optimizing sericulture practices, improving silk quality, and ensuring the sustainability of the silk industry. The gut microbiome significantly influences the health and productivity of silkworms (Bombyx mori), the cornerstone of sericulture. With the increasing use of cost-effective artificial diets in sericulture, it is crucial to understand how these diets impact the silkworm gut microbiomes. Here we employed 16S rRNA sequencing to delineate the impact of three distinct dietary regimens on the silkworm gut microbiomes: exclusive mulberry leaf diet (SY), exclusive artificial feed diet (SL), and a sequential transition from artificial feed to mulberry leaves (ZS). Our results unveiled stark differences in microbial diversity across the groups, with the ZS group displaying an intermediary complexity. LefSe and random forest analyses identified Methylobacteriaceae, Microbacterium, and Rhodococcus as significantly enriched in the ZS group, suggesting their potential to facilitate silkworms' adaptation to dietary transitions. Functional profiling revealed differential pathway regulation, indicating a metabolic reconfiguration in response to dietary modulations. Notably, the enrichment of Lactobacillus and Weissella in both the SL and ZS groups highlights their potential as probiotics in artificial diets. Our findings provide insights into the diet adaptation mechanisms of silkworm gut microbiota, paving the way for harnessing the intestinal bacteria to enhance silkworm health and silk production through targeted microbial interventions in sericulture practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chromium is a severe heavy metal pollutant with significant environmental risks. The effects of Chromium on the digestion of Bombyx mori (silkworms) are of particular importance due to their ecological and economic significance. Herein, RNA sequencing was conducted on nine midgut samples from silkworms exposed to control, 12 g/kg and 24 g/kg Chromium chemical diets. Comparative transcriptomics revealed that under moderate Chromium exposure, there was a significant increase in up-regulated genes (1268 up-regulated to 857 down-regulated), indicating a stimulation response. At higher stress levels, a weakened survival response was observed, with a decrease in up-regulated genes and an increase in down-regulated genes (374 up-regulated to 399 down-regulated). A notable shift in cellular responses under medium chromium exposure was exposed, signifying the activation of crucial metabolic and transport systems and an elevation in cellular stress and toxicity mechanisms. The observation of up-regulated gene expression within xenobiotic metabolism pathways suggests a heightened defense against Chromium-induced oxidative stress, which was primarily through the involvement of antioxidant enzymes. Conversely, high-dose Chromium exposure down-regulates the folate biosynthesis pathway, indicating biological toxicity. Two novel genes responsive to pressure were identified, which could facilitate future stress adaptation understanding. The findings provide insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying silkworms' digestion response to Chromium exposure and could inform its biological toxicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecological stoichiometry plays important roles in understanding the nutrient constraints on tree growth and development, as well in maintaining ecosystem services in forests, yet the characteristics of carbon:nitrogen:phosphorous (C:N:P) stoichiometry in forests under karst environment have not been sufficiently evaluated. In this study, concentration, distribution, stocks of Nitrogen (N) and Phosphorous (P), and ecological stoichiometry were studied in three common forest types: Masson pine natural forests (MPNF), Masson pine plantation forests (MPPF), and Slash pine plantation forests (SPPF) in a karst region of southwestern China. Results showed that N concentrations were higher in overstory than in understory and litter in the studied forests. However, P concentration was relatively low in overstory component of the forested ecosystems. Meanwhile, the N and P concentrations were higher in SPPF in the stem and litter, while these contents were higher in MPPF and MPNP in the overstory and understory. The N and P stocks ranged from 5.7–6.2 t ha−1, and 0.5–0.6 t ha−1 in the examined forests. The ecological stoichiometry of C:N:P in the three forest types was similar in litter (46–49:2:1), and relatively steady in soil (250–320:13–16:1) and tree leaf (100–200:14–20:1). Soil P status was the primary limiting factor in affecting tree growth in MPPF and SPPF (N:P ratio > 16), while both N and P conditions were the main restrictive factors in MPNP (N:P ratio = 15) in the study area. Our study provides scientific references and useful datasets of C:N:P stoichiometry for sustainable management of forest ecosystems in karst regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forests undergo a long-term development process from young to mature stages, yet the variations in soil nutrients, enzyme activities, microbial diversity, and community composition related to forest ages are still unclear. In this study, the characteristics of soil bacterial and fungal communities with their corresponding soil environmental factors in the young, middle, and mature stages (7, 15, and 25-year-old) of Chinese fir plantations (CFP) in the subtropical region of China were investigated in 2021. Results showed that the alpha diversity indices (Chao1 and Shannon) of soil bacteria and fungi were higher in 15 and 25-year-old stands than in 7-year-old stand of CFP, while the soil pH, soil water content, soil organic carbon, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, sucrase, urease, acid phosphatase, catalase, and microbial biomass carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus showed higher in 7-year-old stand than other two stands of CFP. The nonmetric multidimensional scaling analysis revealed that the soil microbial species composition was significantly different in three stand ages of CFP. The redundancy and canonical correspondence analysis indicated that the soil urease and microbial biomass nitrogen were the main factors affecting soil bacterial and fungal species composition. Our findings suggested that soil microbial diversity and community structure were inconsistent with changes in soil nutrients and enzyme activities during CFP development, and enhancing stand nurturing and soil nutrient accumulation in the mid-development stage were beneficial to the sustainable management of CFP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil labile organic carbon fractions (SLOCFs) mainly include microbial biomass carbon (MBC), dissolved organic carbon (DOC), easily oxidized organic carbon (EOC) and light fraction organic carbon (LFOC). The link between bedrock exposure rates with SLOCFs and the carbon pool management index under karst rocky desertification has not been well understood. We selected the bedrock exposure rate and vegetation coverage of 30–50% (light bedrock exposure, LBE), 50–70% (moderate bedrock exposure, MBE) and >70% (intense bedrock exposure, IBE) as the experimental sample plots according to the classification standard of karst rocky desertification, and then selected a sample plot of 0–30% (secondary forest, SF) as the control. This study compared the concentrations and stocks of soil organic carbon (SOC) and SLOCFs and analyzed the relevant carbon pool management index on karst landforms at Anshun, S.W. China. The aims were to determine the relationship between bedrock exposure rates and SLOCFs and to identify the most limiting factors for SLOCFs in karst rocky desertification areas. We found that (1) the concentrations and stocks of SLOCFs declined with increasing soil depth. SOC, DOC and MBC showed IBE > LBE > MBE > SF; LFOC decreased with increasing bedrock exposure rate, and EOC did not show obvious regularity. (2) The carbon pool management index and sensitivity index had significant differences under different bedrock exposure rates. Redundancy analysis and linear regression showed that the increase in bedrock exposure rate had a great impact on MBC, DOC, EOC and SOC. In conclusion, the increase of bedrock exposure rate has no side impact on the DOC, EOC and MBC of the soil, but side effects are exhibited by LFOC. Secondary forest improves the integrity of karst landscapes, and does not change the soil properties as well as the concentrations and stocks of SLOCFs in karst rocky desertification areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reference 1 Zheng W., Rao C., Wu Q., Wang E., Jiang X., Xu Y., Hu L., Chen Y., Liang X., Yan W. Changes in the Soil Labile Organic Carbon Fractions following Bedrock Exposure Rate in a Karst Context. Changes in the Soil Labile Organic Carbon Fractions following Bedrock Exposure Rate in a Karst Context. The authors wish to make the following corrections to this paper [[1]]. [Extracted from the article]