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BackgroundParasitoid wasps have fascinating life cycles and play an important role in trophic networks, yet little is known about their genome content and function. Parasitoids that infect aphids are an important group with the potential for biological control. Their success depends on adapting to develop inside aphids and overcoming both host aphid defenses and their protective endosymbionts.ResultsWe present the de novo genome assemblies, detailed annotation, and comparative analysis of two closely related parasitoid wasps that target pest aphids: Aphidius ervi and Lysiphlebus fabarum (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Aphidiinae). The genomes are small (139 and 141 Mbp) and the most AT-rich reported thus far for any arthropod (GC content: 25.8 and 23.8%). This nucleotide bias is accompanied by skewed codon usage and is stronger in genes with adult-biased expression. AT-richness may be the consequence of reduced genome size, a near absence of DNA methylation, and energy efficiency. We identify missing desaturase genes, whose absence may underlie mimicry in the cuticular hydrocarbon profile of L. fabarum. We highlight key gene groups including those underlying venom composition, chemosensory perception, and sex determination, as well as potential losses in immune pathway genes.ConclusionsThese findings are of fundamental interest for insect evolution and biological control applications. They provide a strong foundation for further functional studies into coevolution between parasitoids and their hosts. Both genomes are available at https://bipaa.genouest.org.

While displaying diversified economic values, agro-ecosystems remain a relevant component of rural landscapes in Southern Europe. Coupled with the expansion of ecologically fragile areas because of climate warming, intensification and simplification of rural landscapes—e.g., in lowland—represent frequent trajectories of rural land-use change (RLUC) in the Mediterranean region and demonstrated to harm ecosystem functionality and ecological quality, especially in a context of socioeconomic transformations of landscapes. Additionally, an incipient 'extensivation' of geographically remote and economically marginal agricultural systems was also observed, likely following depopulation and land abandonment. The present study elaborated in this direction, providing an integrated RLUC evaluation scheme based on a multivariate analysis of land-use indicators derived from official statistics. This approach was applied to a continuous, long-term RLUC monitoring of a rural landscape in an ecologically complex Mediterranean region (Latium, Central Italy) experiencing multiple trends (e.g., lowland urbanization, crop intensification in gently sloping areas, and land abandonment/depopulation in steep zones) with diversified environmental implications. Based on administrative inventories, such evaluation was carried out over fifty years (1970–2020) in the study area, considering trends over time in selected crop surfaces at the municipal scale as inputs of a multiway factor analysis (MFA). This analysis quantifies stability in the main rural land-use types and possible changes in the dominant farming systems. Simplified indicators of land configuration (namely a crop intensity index and a rural woodland index reflecting 'intensification' or 'extensivation' of local farming systems) made available at the same spatial and temporal scales completed the informative picture corroborating MFA results. Taken together, our findings delineate multiple changes in rural landscapes, discriminating land-use trajectories in coastal and inland districts. These development trajectories were basically dependent on processes of (i) land abandonment in relict and remote areas, (ii) crop intensification in dynamic rural districts, and (iii) fringe urbanization along the coastal strip. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A rank-size rule following Zipf's law was tested along a complete urban–rural hierarchy in Greece using 2021 census data released at different administrative levels. Testing five econometric specifications (linear, quadratic, and cubic forms, together with refined logistic and Gompertz forms) on log-transformed population numbers, deviations from the rank-size rule were assumed as an indicator of economic concentration (considering settlements, population, and activities jointly) along the density gradient in Greece. This hypothesis was verified using progressively disaggregated population numbers at (i) regional units (n = 75), (ii) 'Kallikratis' municipalities (n = 333), (iii) 'Kapodistrian' municipalities (n = 1037), and (iv) local communities (n = 6126). Econometric results were stable across geographical levels and indicate a relatively poor fit of linear specifications, the classical formulation of Zipf's law. Quadratic specifications displayed a good fit for all territorial levels outperforming cubic specifications. Gompertz specifications outperformed logistic specifications under aggregate partitions (e.g., regional units and 'Kallikratis' municipalities). Quadratic specifications outperformed both logistic and Gompertz specifications under disaggregated levels of investigation ('Kapodistrian' municipalities and local communities). Altogether, these findings indicate the persistence of non-linear rank-size relationships estimated over a cross-section of population data at progressively detailed observational units. Such evidence enriches the recent literature on Zipf's law, demonstrating the inherent complexity of rank-size rules tested on real data along the whole density gradient in a given country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: This review explores the potential of black soldier fly larval frass (which is a mixture of insect excrements and leftover substrates) in organic agriculture. Frass can work as a natural fertilizer for agriculture, enriching soil with nutrients and beneficial bacteria. The study investigates how the composition of frass depends on the substrate for larval feed, and how it affects different crops. By categorizing crops and evaluating the impact of frass, the research sheds light on its potential benefits and drawbacks in farming practices. Overall, understanding how black soldier fly frass can enhance soil fertility offers a sustainable solution for agriculture, reducing waste while promoting healthier crop growth. Hermetia illucens has received a lot of attention as its larval stage can grow on organic substrates, even those that are decomposing. Black soldier fly breeding provides a variety of valuable products, including frass, a mixture of larval excrements, larval exuviae, and leftover feedstock, that can be used as a fertilizer in agriculture. Organic fertilizers, such as frass, bringing beneficial bacteria and organic materials into the soil, improves its health and fertility. This comprehensive review delves into a comparative analysis of frass derived from larvae fed on different substrates. The composition of micro- and macro-nutrients, pH levels, organic matter content, electrical conductivity, moisture levels, and the proportion of dry matter are under consideration. The effect of different feeding substrates on the presence of potentially beneficial bacteria for plant growth within the frass is also reported. A critical feature examined in this review is the post-application beneficial impacts of frass on crops, highlighting the agricultural benefits and drawbacks of introducing Hermetia illucens frass into cultivation operations. One notable feature of this review is the categorization of the crops studied into distinct groups, which is useful to simplify comparisons in future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: This three-year clinical trial aimed to demonstrate that only the signaling vesicles produced by ADSCa, containing mRNA, microRNA, growth factors (GFs), and bioactive peptides, provide an advantage over classical therapy with adipose disaggregate to make the tissue regeneration technique safer due to the absence of interfering materials and cells, while being extremely minimally invasive. The infiltration of disaggregated adipose nanofat, defined by the Tonnard method, for the regeneration of the dermis and epidermis during physiological or pathological aging continues to be successfully used for the presence of numerous adult stem cells in suspension (ADSCa). An improvement in this method is the exclusion of fibrous shots and cellular debris from the nanofat to avoid inflammatory phenomena by microfiltration. Materials and Methods: A small amount of adipose tissue was extracted after surface anesthesia and disaggregated according to the Tonnard method. An initial microfiltration at 20/40 microns was performed to remove fibrous shots and cellular debris. The microfiltration was stabilized with a sterile solution containing hyaluronic acid and immediately ultrafiltered to a final size of 0.20 microns to exclude the cellular component and hyaluronic acid chains of different molecular weights. The suspension was then injected into the dermis using a mesotherapy technique with microinjections. Results: This study found that it is possible to extract signaling microvesicles using a simple ultrafiltration system. The Berardesca Scale, Numeric Rating Scale (NRS), and Modified Vancouver Scale (MVS) showed that it is possible to obtain excellent results with this technique. The ultrafiltrate can validly be used in a therapy involving injection into target tissues affected by chronic and photoaging with excellent results. Conclusions: This retrospective clinical evaluation study allowed us to consider the results obtained with this method for the treatment of dermal wrinkles and facial tissue furrows as excellent. The method is safe and an innovative regenerative therapy as a powerful and viable alternative to skin regeneration therapies, antiaging therapies, and chronic inflammatory diseases because it lacks the inflammatory component produced by cellular debris and fibrous sprouts and because it can exclude the mesenchymal cellular component by reducing multiple inflammatory cytokine levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]