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Ganoderma, a well-known genus in the Ganodermataceae family, has caused the extinction of several tree species due to its pathogenicity. This study explored the pathogenic effect of a newly identified Ganoderma species on trees and its competitive efficiency against Trichoderma species. Ganoderma camelum sp. nov. is characterized by small sessile basidiomata and a velvety, soft, camelbrown pileus. Phylogenetic analysis and ITS rDNA sequences indicated that the species were Trichoderma and Ganoderma camelum. Both fungal species competed antagonistically by secreting laccase. The laccase activity of G. camelum, with a value of 8.3 ± 4.0 U/mL, demonstrated the highest competitive activity against Trichoderma species. The laccase produced by T. atroviride (2.62 U/mL) was most effective in countering the pathogenic action of the novel G. camelum. The molecular weights of laccase were determined using SDSPAGE (62.0 kDa for G. camelum and 57.0 kDa for T. atroviride). Due to the white rot induced by this Ganoderma species in the host tree, G. camelum showed the highest percentage inhibition of radial growth (76.3%) compared to T. atroviride (28.7%). This study aimed to evaluate the competitive antagonistic activity of Ganoderma and Trichoderma on malt extract agar media in the context of white rot disease in the host tree. This study concluded that the laccase from G. camelum caused weight loss in rubber wood blocks through laccase action, indicating tissue injury in the host species. Therefore, it was also concluded that G. camelum was more effective in pathogenic action of the host and resisted the biological action of T. atroviride. In principal components analysis (PCA), all the species associated with laccase exhibited a very strong influence on the variability of the system. The PIRG rate (percentage inhibition of radial growth) was strongly and positively correlated with laccase activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Root-knot nematodes (RKNs) of the genus Meloidogyne are one of themost damaging genera to cultivated woody plants with a worldwide distribution. The knowledge of the soil and rhizosphere microbiota of almonds infested with Meloidogyne could help to establish new sustainable and efficient management strategies. However, the soil microbiota interaction in deciduous woody plants infected with RKNs is scarcely studied. This research was carried out in six commercial almond groves located in southern Spain and infested with different levels of Meloidogyne spp. within each grove. Several parameters were measured: nematode assemblages, levels and biocontrol agents in Meloidogyne's eggs, levels of specific biocontrol agents in rhizoplane and soil, levels of bacteria and fungi in rhizoplane and soil, fungal and bacterial communities by high-throughput sequencing of internal transcribed spacer (ITS), and 16S rRNA gene in soil and rhizosphere of the susceptible almond hybrid rootstock GF-677 infested with Meloidogyne spp. The studied almond groves showed soil degradation by nematode assemblies and fungi:bacterial ratio. Fungal parasites of Meloidogyne eggs were found in 56.25% of the samples. However, the percentage of parasitized eggs by fungi ranged from1% to 8%. Three fungal species were isolated fromMeloidogyne eggs, specifically Pochonia chlamydosporia, Purpureocillium lilacinum, and Trichoderma asperellum. The diversity and composition of themicrobial communities were more affected by the sample type (soil vs rhizosphere) and by the geographical location of the samples than by the Meloidogyne density, which could be explained by the vigorous hybrid rootstock GF-677 and a possible dilution effect. However, the saprotrophic function in the functional guilds of the fungal ASV was increased in the highly infected roots vs the low infected roots. These results indicate that the presence of biocontrol agents in almond fields and the development of new management strategies could increase their populations to control partially RKN infection levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1865, Müller Argoviensis proposed Acalypha fallax based on specimens from Peninsula Indiae orientalis, which is now considered synonymous with A. lanceolata Willd. A recent study conducted in Tamil Nadu, India, from 2019 to 2022 thoroughly examined Acalypha species using multiple criteria: leaf epidermal characteristics, seed morphology, pollen features observed via scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and sequencing of the ITS, rbcL and matK spacer regions. This work identified distinctions between A. fallax and A. lanceolata, such as longer peduncles, obovate bracts in male flowers, and stems with two types of trichomes: strigose and hirsute. Moreover, the study proposed a new species, A. brittoi, which is described here as distinguishable from A. fallax by its larger leaf blades with 13–14‐toothed margins (compared to smaller blades with 8–9‐toothed margins in A. fallax), and by the ovate perianth of its male flowers (versus orbicular perianth in A. fallax). Unique patterns of leaf epidermal crystals and granules on seed surfaces further aided in distinguishing A. fallax from A. brittoi. Molecular analysis additionally confirmed genetic differences among these three species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Six new species of Tricholoma (Fr.) Staude in sections Genuina (Tricholoma amarissimum, Tricholoma lutescentifolium, Tricholoma pudorinum, Tricholoma sapineum) and Fucata (Tricholoma griseobrunneum, Tricholoma pallidogriseum) are formally described from North America east of the Rocky Mountains based on their nrITS sequence, morphology, ecology, and distribution patterns. Those species are found in summer or fall in deciduous or coniferous forests. Descriptions of their morphological characters are provided, along with photographs of the basidiomata and their micromorphology. The new species are compared with similar species occurring in North America and Europe. Tricholoma felschii Ovrebo, Hughes & Halling, in section Fucata, is here considered to represent three species, T. felschii s. str., Tricholoma subumbrinum A.H. Sm., and the newly described T. griseobrunneum. Emended descriptions of the first two species are provided to accommodate the new concepts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mycetoma can be caused either by fungi or aerobic Actinomycetes. A precise identification of the causal agents is critical for the therapeutic outcome. Thus, this study aimed to identify the pathogens of mycetoma using 16S/ITS rRNA gene polymerase chain reaction (PCR) followed by Sanger sequencing directly on grains. In sum, 32 samples including 15 black grains, 12 red grains, and five white/yellow grains collected from patients with mycetoma at the Aristide Le Dantec University Hospital in Dakar, Senegal, between October 2014 and September 2020 were submitted to PCR/sequencing. For black grain eumycetoma, the ITS rRNA region was targeted. Similarly, the 16S rRNA gene was targeted for red grain actinomycetoma. These two regions were targeted in parallel for white/yellow grains, which could be of either bacterial or fungal origin. The age of the patients ranged from 14 to 72 years with a mean age of 36 ± 14 years. Thirteen (86%) of the 15 samples with black grains, were successfully sequenced with only one established eumycetoma pathogen, Madurella mycetomatis identified in 11 (73%). Cladosporium sphaerospermum was identified in one sample. For the 16S rRNA sequencing of red grains, a 58.3% (7/12) success rate was obtained with Actinomadura pelletieri identified in six samples. Among the five samples sequenced twice, the 16S rRNA allowed us to identify the causative agent in 2 cases, A. madurae in one, and A. geliboluensis in the other. The ITS rRNA identified 3 fungi, of which none was a mycetoma agent. Overall, direct 16S/ITS rRNA sequencing of the grains for detecting and identifying mycetoma pathogens was successful in 59.4% of cases. Fungi, led by M. mycetomatis, were the predominant pathogens identified. Two probable new mycetoma agents, C. sphaerospermum, and A. geliboluensis were identified and both deserve to be confirmed in further studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evolution of genus is accompanied by ecological diversification. The majority of species grow in open, sunny, rather dry sites in arid and moderately humid climates. However, Allium species have adapted for many other ecological niches. Classical approaches for the identification of Allium cultivars are based on morphological traits. The assessment of these traits is difficult and their evaluation can be subjective considering that most of these cultivars are closely related. Hence, this study of Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) sequencing and four barcoding regions, matK, rbcL, trnH-psbA, trnL and Inter Simple Sequence Repeats (ISSR) were researched in onion, Allium cepa L. (Alliaceae) collected from three different cultivation sites. The results established noticeable hereditary divergence among the three cultivars. In ITS and matK, BDUT 1453, BDUT 1454 and BDUT 1455 were independent of each other and formed three clusters. In rbcL, BDUT 1453 formed an independent cluster from the cluster of BDUT 1454 and BDUT 1455. But in trnH-psbA, BDUT 1454 formed an independent cluster and BDUT 1453 and BDUT 1455 were closely placed whereas trnL showed all the three forming a cluster wherein BDUT 1453 and BDUT 1454 were placed closely in a sub-cluster. In ISSR, BDUT 1454 and BDUT 1455 formed a single cluster and BDUT 1453 diverged from it. Even though the tested cultivars belong to the same species they showed genetic divergence among themselves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary A road‐weather information system (RWIS) is an attractive application in the context of intelligent transportation systems (ITSs), which is used where climatic conditions and meteorological events worsen traffic safety. The primary goal is to significantly reduce potential accidents by sending early warning messages to prompt immediate action. For this purpose, road weather information stations are placed at critical points on the highways. In addition to responsible transportation agencies, enabling direct warning message transfer from roadside infrastructure to vehicles can significantly improve the effectiveness of a typical RWIS application. Dedicated short range communication (DSRC) and cellular vehicle to everything (C‐V2X) technologies are extensively used for data exchange between vehicles (V2V) and between vehicles and road infrastructure (V2I or I2V) under the umbrella term of vehicle‐to‐everything (V2X) communications. Latency and coverage are key performance indicators of the vehicular network that determine how drivers react to risks in adverse road and weather conditions. V2X‐based connectivity mainly aims to offer low latency in message delivery, but it is not possible to obtain a wide‐range coverage due to significant propagation loss in the dedicated 5.9 GHz ITS frequency band. In this study, we presented a long range (LoRa)‐based RWIS application that uses I2 V communication at sub‐GHz bands. Our main contribution is proposing a novel method for RWIS implementations, where the LoRa gateways run in a half‐duplex way to collect information from road weather information stations in the uplink channel and then broadcast warning messages to vehicles in the downlink channel. To validate the applicability of the proposed method, we presented a feasibility study that includes transmission range and latency analysis. Our theoretical calculations' results validate the more extended transmission range and applicability of LoRa connectivity on RWIS applications, especially for common scenarios like black ice where the climate risks do not occur suddenly. We also showed that our methodology would be beneficial due to the ability to offer wide coverage, especially in the areas where cellular base stations have not yet existed or V2X road infrastructure has not yet been established. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Subantarctic brown alga Cladochroa chnoosporiformis had been collected only on one occasion by Carl Skottsberg in 1907 from Port Philomel, West Falkland, Falkland Islands, resulting in its formal taxonomic description. Due to the lack of reports since then, doubts remained about its existence and identity. Within the framework of this study, Cladochroa was rediscovered 106 years after its original description at its type locality, confirming its existence and the morphological features described by Skottsberg. The re-collection enabled molecular studies on field material and isolated cultures. Sequences of nrDNA, rbcL, and 5′-COI suggest that C. chnoosporiformis is conspecific with Utriculidium durvillei, which has nomenclatural priority. However, the morphologies of C. chnoosporiformis and U. durvillei are significantly different. Utriculidium may be the gametophyte generation of Cladochroa, or hitherto unknown factors cause highly different morphologies without alternating generations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Larvae of Hermetia illucens regularly develop on PVC-MPs-supplemented diet. • PVC-MPs are ingested by the larvae and reduced in their size. • Midgut morphology is not affected by PVC-MPs in the larval diet. • PVC-MPs in the larval diet do not affect microbial alpha- and beta-diversity. • PVC-MPs selectively affect the abundances of gut bacterial and fungal taxa. In a world with a population exceeding 8 billion people and continuing to grow, pollution from food and plastic waste is causing long-term issues in ecosystems. Potential solutions may be found by exploiting insect-based bioconversion. In this context, we investigated the impact of polyvinyl chloride microparticles (PVC-MPs) on the development of Hermetia illucens (black soldier fly; BSF) and its midgut bacterial and fungal microbiota. The impact of PVC-MPs was evaluated feeding BSF larvae with a PVC-MPs-supplemented diet. The larvae exposed to different PVC-MPs concentrations (2.5%, 5%, 10% and 20% w/w) developed into adults with no significant increase in pupal mortality. Faster development and smaller pupae were observed when 20% PVC-MPs was provided. The BSF larvae ingest PVC-MPs, resulting in a reduction in MPs size. Larvae exposed to PVC-MPs did not exhibit differences in gut morphology. Regarding the impact of PVC-MPs on the structure of both bacterial and fungal communities, the overall alpha- and beta-diversity did not exhibit significant changes. However, the presence of PVC-MPs significantly affected the relative abundances of Enterobacteriaceae and Paenibacillaceae among the bacteria and of Dipodascaceae and Plectospharellaceae among the fungi (including yeast and filamentous life forms), suggesting that PVC-MP contamination has a taxa-dependent impact. These results indicate that BSF larvae can tolerate PVC-MPs in their diet, supporting the potential use of these insects in organic waste management, even in the presence of high levels of PVC-MP contamination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two new Pluteus species, P. nigritus and P. fumidus, were described based on specimens collected in the Far East, the easternmost part of Russia. Pluteus nigritus is characterized by rather large basidiomata with dark-coloured blackish brown pileus and greyish brown bulbose stipe, pigmented lamellae edges, metuloid pleurocystidia, presence of clamps in pileipellis, and growing on conifer wood. Another species, P. fumidus, also growing on conifers, has medium-sized basidiomata with greyish brown pileus and silvery-white stipe with grey base, concolorous lamellae edges, metuloid pleurocystidia, and abundant clamp-connections in all tissues. The phylogenetic placements of the two newly described species within Pluteus were confirmed using DNA data (nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and translation-elongation factor 1-alpha (TEF1)). Detailed morphological descriptions, field photographs, and comparisons of two new species with other morphologically and phylogenetically closely related species are provided. Morphological characters and phylogenetic trees inferred from ITS and TEF1 of nc DNA sequences showed that both of our new species belong to the section Pluteus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant community ecology guides restoration of degraded lands, yet seed‐based restorations sometimes fail or result in unpredictable outcomes, necessitating a better understanding of community trajectory and stability. Western yarrow (Achillea millefolium) declined suddenly in two separate restoration projects after initial high relative abundance. To assess the potential role of soil pathogens, we surveyed plant and soil fungal communities in these restorations, and used an 8‐year‐old field experiment that crossed yarrow planted in varying densities with a fungicide treatment. Two greenhouse experiments then evaluated whether the suppressive effect in yarrow soil spread to native species used in restoration. Lower yarrow cover in a restoration project 5 years compared to 3 years after seeding coincided with higher relative abundance of fungal taxa that can cause disease, particularly Crown‐rot fungi (Paraphoma spp.). Paraphoma increased over time in experimental plots and coincided with yarrow decline. Decline onset was density‐dependent, occurring faster in plant communities where yarrow density was higher. Fungicide applications altered fungal pathogen communities and promoted yarrow cover relative to control plots. In the greenhouse, yarrow grew larger with fungicide, consistent with suppression of fungal pathogens. However, biomass of natives grown in yarrow‐conditioned soil was not affected by fungicides, suggesting pathogens did not spread. The rapid establishment and competitive nature of yarrow, followed by pathogen‐induced decline, make it an attractive early transitional “bridge species,” so long as its pathogens are species‐specific. Our results suggest negative plant‐soil feedback can drive rapid decline of individual species, and considering plant–soil feedback could improve restoration predictability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glugea sp. found infecting the liver of the teleost fish Carangoides bajad from the Red Sea, Egypt, is described based on light microscopy and ultrastructural characteristics combined with phylogenetic analyses. This microsporidium forms whitish xenomas up to ~4 mm in size. Xenomas display numerous parasitophorous vacuoles totally filled by mature spores, no other life cycle stages were observed. Mature spores ellipsoidal and measuring 6.3 × 4.0 μm in size. The polaroplast appears composed of two distinct regions: an electron‐dense vesicular region and a densely packed lamellar region. The polar tubule forms approximately 24–27 coils arranged in three layers encircling the posterior vacuole. The small subunit (SSU) rRNA gene and its ITS region were sequenced and showed the highest similarity of 99.4% to other Glugea spp. Bayesian inference and maximum likelihood analyses place the novel isolate within the Glugea clade, more specifically within a subclade that predominantly grouped species described from fish inhabiting the Arabian Gulf or Red Sea. The results validate the parasite's classification in the Glugea genus. Nevertheless, until more detailed ultrastructural and molecular data are obtained, the identification of the current Glugea species is hampered by the absence of some developmental stages and the high degree of genetic similarity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acremonium and the recently separated acremonium-like genera, such as Sarocladium, are emerging causes of opportunistic disease in humans, mainly post-traumatic infections in immunocompetent hosts, but also invasive infections in immunocompromised patients, such as those undergoing transplantation. Acremonium egyptiacum has emerged as the major pathogenic Acremonium species in humans, implicated mainly in nail but also in disseminated and organ specific infections. In this first study of acremonium-like clinical isolates in Greece, 34 isolates were identified and typed by sequencing the internal transcribed spacer, and their antifungal susceptibility was determined by a modified CLSI standard M38 3rd Edition method for filamentous fungi. A. egyptiacum was the primary species (18 isolates) followed by Sarocladium kiliense (8), Acremonium charticola, Gliomastix polychroma, Proxiovicillium blochii, Sarocladium terricola, Sarocladium zeae, and Stanjemonium dichromosporum (all with one isolate). Two isolates, each with a novel ITS sequence, possibly represent undescribed species with an affinity to Emericellopsis. All three A. egyptiacum ITS barcode types described to date were identified, with 3 being the major type. Flutrimazole, lanoconazole, and luliconazole presented the lower minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values against A. egyptiacum, with a geometric mean (GM) MIC of 2.50, 1.92, and 1.57 μg/mL, respectively. Amphotericin B, itraconazole, posaconazole, voriconazole, terbinafine, amorolfine, and griseofulvin MICs were overall high (GM 12.79–29.49 μg/mL). An analysis of variance performed on absolute values showed that flutrimazole, lanoconazole, and luliconazole were equivalent and notably lower than those of all the other drugs tested against A. egyptiacum. Antifungal susceptibility of the three different A. egyptiacum genotypes was homogeneous. Overall, the high MICs recorded for all systemically administered drugs, and for some topical antifungals against the tested A. egyptiacum and other acremonium-like clinical isolates, justify the routine susceptibility testing of clinical isolates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oomycetes are water molds that are frequently isolated during a survey of waterways. Biodiversity of oomycetes in the estuary region of the Veleka River in Bulgaria was investigated in 2021. A total number of 32 isolates were derived using the baiting method. Species identification based on sequencing of the ITS region divided them into four different genera: Phytophthora (P.), Phytopythium (Pp.), Pythium (Py.) and Elongisporangium (E.). The most abundant species in the studied region was P. lacustris (sixteen isolates), followed by P. honggalleglyana (nine isolates). P. bilorbang and P. inundata were represented by only one isolate each and were recognized for the first time in Bulgaria. The genus Phytopythium was presented by two isolates that belong to different species, Pp. litorale and Pp. citrinum. In the obtained collection, the genera Pythium and Elongisporangium were represented by only one species each, Py. angustatum (one isolate) and E. anandrum (two isolates), respectively. Colony morphology of the eight collected oomycete species was characterized by cultivation of selected isolates on three different media. Potential host species of the isolated estuarine oomycetes were estimated by pathogenicity tests conducted with sixteen plants from ten diverse families. P. lacustris and P. honggalleglyana demonstrated a higher aggressiveness among Phytophthora isolates, whereas P. bilorbang and P. inundata showed less ability to infect the tested plant species. Similar pathogenicity and a potential host range for both Phytopythium species were observed. Less aggressive against analyzed plants in this study were Py. angustatum and E. anandrum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dipcadi (Scilloideae: Asparagaceae) is a genus of bulbous monocots with approximately 40 species, of which 13 occur in India. Species delimitation within the genus has been troublesome hindering a comprehensive phylogenetic analysis. The most recent phylogeny of the subfamily Ornithogaloideae included six species of Dipcadi only from Africa. Here, we reconstructed the phylogeny of Ornithogaloideae including 23 accessions comprising 13 recognized taxa (11 species and two varieties) of Indian Dipcadi. The phylogenetic analyses were based on nucleotide sequences of three plastid regions (rbcL, matK and trnL-F spacer) and one nuclear region (ITS). Pseudogaltonia clavata exhibited sister relationship to Dipcadi. Our combined nuclear + plastid dataset analyses revealed a monophyletic Dipcadi with five clades, Clade I-V. Clade I, II and III included mainly Indian species whereas Clade V included mostly African species. Clade IV comprised D. serotinum. Clade I included nine taxa including our newly described species, D. mukaianum. The new species was phylogenetically placed with D. erythraeum, D. saxorum and D. ursulae. Morphologically, the species resembled D. montanum and D. ursulae but differed in characters such as tepal cohesion, number of ovules per locule and foul-smelling flowers. Clade II and III included 11 and six taxa, respectively. D. erythraeum which has a native range from Egypt to western India was found in Clades I and V. The widespread Dipcadi species, viz. D. erythraeum and D. serotinum showed polyphyly however, the monophyly of Dipcadi is established. Our studies suggest that additional molecular markers (plastid as well as nuclear) should be tested for their taxonomy utility. Further work on the historical biogeography of Dipcadi on the subfamily Ornithogaloideae with more genetic data will yield insights how aridification of the landscape would have shaped the evolution of the geographical clades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of medicinal plants for managing diabetes and related conditions has been an integral part of traditional healthcare systems throughout the world including Nagaland, India. Authentic identification of these medicinal plants is crucial for their safe and effective use. A study was aimed for authentic identification of some anti-diabetic potential ethnomedicinal plants from Nagaland, India using DNA sequence based molecular characterization by amplifying and sequencing of ITS, rbcL and matK barcode regions. DNA barcode loci from the nuclear and chloroplast genomes from 15 different ethnomedicinal anti-diabetic plants of Nagaland, India, were studied for molecular characterisation. Based on the ITS, rbcL and matK region sequences, three main discrimination methods, i.e., BLAST, Phylogenetic tree and genetic distance, were adopted to identify the species. Utilising DNA markers for identification is both highly advantageous and efficient due to its reliability and rapidity. Successful amplification across species and high blast hits (100 % identity) highlighted their potential for molecular characterisation. Phylogenetic trees constructed using various models showed distinct clades and subclades, with matK revealing hypervariability and rbcL demonstrating consistent matches. Genetic distances revealed varying levels of similarity, with certain species establishing close relationships based on pairwise comparisons. GC% variations were detected, potentially indicating nucleotide composition differences and functional constraints among species genomes. The findings of this study highlight that the ITS, rbcL , and matK regions serve as effective markers for verifying the authenticity of anti-diabetic medicinal plants indigenous to Nagaland, India. [Display omitted] • DNA markers based species identification of 15 antidiabetic plants from Nagaland. • ITS, matK and rbcL based identification complemented with phonological identification. • Consistency in rbcL and matK regions showing reliability as DNA barcode markers. • Sequence length variations attributed to genomic differences among plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, two new species of Pholiota (Strophariaceae) viz. Pholiota fasciculata and Pholiota himalayensis belonging to subgenus Flammuloides are described based on morphological characteristics and molecular phylogenetic analyses. The specimens were collected during the macrofungal expedition in different areas of Darjeeling Hills in the monsoon season 2019–2022. Pholiota fasciculata is characterized by its brightly coloured fruit bodies when young, prominent umbo at maturity, viscid when moist, ellipsoid to ovoid basidiospores with minute and inconspicuous germ pore, fusiform-lageniform pleurocystidia, some crystalline cap covering the apex and bundled cheilocystidia which cannot be separated easily. Pholiota himalayensis is characterized by having viscid fruit bodies, basidiospores with inconspicuous germ pore, pleurocystidia projecting prominently and similar in shape to cheilocystidia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and aims - Bulbophyllum, the largest genus in Orchidaceae, exhibits a diverse morphology in both reproductive and vegetative characters. While trait diversity and evolution has been extensively studied in Malagasy species and within the Cirrhopetalum alliance clade, the evolution of reproductive and vegetative characters at the whole level of the Asian clade remains largely unexplored. Material and methods - We reconstructed the phylogeny of approximately 11% of all Asian Bulbophyllum species using Bayesian inference and maximum likelihood estimation based on nuclear (ITS) and chloroplast (matK, psbA-trnH) DNA sequence data. This phylogenetic framework allowed us to examine the evolution of two vegetative and four floral characters through ancestral state reconstruction. Key results and conclusion - The ancestral character states of the Asian clade of Bulbophyllum include a single leaf, distinct pseudobulbs, multiple-flowered inflorescences, and lateral and dorsal sepals similar in length. One-leaved pseudobulbs evolved into two-leaved pseudobulbs multiple times. Distinct pseudobulbs gave rise to indistinct pseudobulbs twice. Multiple-flowered inflorescences shifted to solitary flowers and 2-3-flowered inflorescences multiple times, with some instances of evolutionary reversal. Lateral sepal elongation also presents a convergent evolutionary scenario. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Macrophytes harbor numerous potentially invasive species that pose a threat to biodiversity and ecosystem services in freshwater environments. Egeria densa (Hydrocharitaceae) stands out as a prominent invasive species, recognized as a significant global invader across various ecosystems. In this study, we conducted an assessment of the genetic variability of this species in four Brazilian reservoirs, which are part of the species' native range, employing the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) from the nuclear marker and the intergenic chloroplast marker trnL-trnF. The obtained sequences were then compared with those available in GenBank (NCBI). The results of our investigation revealed a low genetic differentiation among the sampled populations. For ITS and trnL-trnF, we identified four and three distinct haplotypes, respectively, with a predominant single haplotype shared by most specimens. Notably, we did not observe a discernible phylogeographic structure. The data we obtained represents the first sequences of E. densa within its native habitat, providing valuable insights on its genetic diversity and helping to understand invasive processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vermicomposting offers an eco-friendly solution to managing the sewage sludge generated in wastewater treatment plants. The objective of this study was to investigate the microbial community composition, structure and functionality during the vermicomposting of sewage sludge. We analyzed samples of sewage sludge, earthworm casts and vermicompost by applying high-throughput sequencing 16S and ITS rRNA. Most of the bacterial (95%) and fungal taxa (99%) were eliminated and subsequently replaced by other microbial taxa originating from earthworms. Further changes resulted in a vermicompost with a more diverse bacterial (but not fungal) community. In addition, the earthworm activity led to an increase in bacterial and a decrease in fungal alpha diversity, resulting in greater differences in beta diversity between sewage sludge, casts and vermicompost. We also found that bacterial pathways associated with amino acid and plant hormone biosynthesis and antibiotic synthesis were enriched. Vermicomposting successfully eliminated most of the 10 human bacterial pathogens found in the sewage sludge. Simultaneously, parasitic and pathogenic fungal taxa were removed. Overall, vermicompost derived from sewage sludge is safer for disposal on land than raw sludge, particularly regarding their respective microbial compositions. This indicates that it could potentially be used as a soil organic amendment and fertilizer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using nine DNA barcode markers, we investigated genetic differences among Heracleum mantegazzianum Sommier & Levier samples from the species' native range in the Western Caucasus (Karachai-Cherkess Republic), invasive large Heracleum species from Kirovsk (Murmansk oblast) and Syktyvkar (Komi Republic), and Heracleum sosnowskyi Manden. samples from Nalchik (Kabardino-Balkar Republic). New sequence data for the markers rbcL, matK, trnL, trnH-psbA, rps16, trnQ-rps16, rps16-trnK, rpl32-trnL, ITS, and ETS were compared with GenBank data for the investigated and other Heracleum species. The ITS and ETS sequences of nuclear DNA exhibited certain polymorphism level, aligning well with the species boundaries of most Heracleum genus members analyzed, except for those identified morphologically as H. mantegazzianum and H. sosnowskyi. Molecular data indicate that all large invasive Heracleum samples collected in northern European Russia and the Western Caucasus likely belong to H. mantegazzianum. Our results show the absence of H. sosnowskyi in the Murmansk oblast and the Komi Republic. A possible explanation for these findings is the hybridization of H. mantegazzianum and H. sosnowskyi, which may have occurred spontaneously during their initial introduction at the Polar-Alpine Botanical Garden in Kirovsk, Murmansk oblast. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several members of the genus Peziza sensu stricto occur at the edge of melting snow. These nivicolous species have been widely reported in the Northern Hemisphere and are also known from Australia and New Zealand. We have used 16 specimens from North America and Australia to study morphology and to perform DNA sequencing. In sequence analyses, we have used ITS1 and ITS2 (internal transcribed spacers), 28S, RPB2 (RNA polymerase II gene), and two genes new to these studies, GAPDH (glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase) and HSP90 (heat shock protein 90). Although not all regions are available for all samples, we have recognized the following species: Peziza heimii, P. nivalis, and P. nivis. Phylogenetic analyses were done using ITS alone; combined ITS1-5.8S-ITS2, 28S, and RPB2; ITS, and 28S, RPB2, GAPDH, and HSP90. Even with this augmented set of genes and despite their widespread occurrence in North America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, we have not definitively distinguished species within this group. To assess these results, pairwise homoplasy index (PHI) analysis was employed. This showed evidence of recombination among the samples of P. nivalis and further supports the view of P. nivalis as a monophyletic cosmopolitan species. As part of this study, we also examined the variation in ITS copies in P. echinospora, for which a genome is available. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The genus Amomum includes over 111 species, 6 of which are widely utilized as medicinal plants and have already undergone taxonomic revision. Due to their morphological similarities, the presence of counterfeit and substandard products remains a challenge. Accurate plant identification is, therefore, essential to address these issues. This study utilized 11 newly sequenced samples and extensive NCBI data to perform molecular identification of the six medicinal "Doukou" species. The plastomes of these species exhibited a typical quadripartite structure with a conserved gene content. However, independent variation shifts of the SC/IR boundaries existed between and within species. The comprehensive set of genetic sequences, including ITS, ITS1, ITS2, complete plastomes, matK, rbcL, psbA-trnH, and ycf1, showed varying discrimination of the six "Doukou" species based on both distance and phylogenetic tree methods. Among these, the ITS, ITS1, and complete plastome sequences demonstrated the highest identification success rate (3/6), followed by ycf1 (2/6), and then ITS2, matK, and psbA-trnH (1/6). In contrast, rbcL failed to identify any species. This research established a basis for a reliable molecular identification method for medicinal "Doukou" plants to protect wild plant resources, promote the sustainable use of medicinal plants, and restrict the exploitation of these resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Banana (Musa spp.) is one of the most economically important horticultural crops. There are many types of banana, with differing ploidy (usually diploid, triploid, or tetraploid) and genome types (most containing the A or/and B genome). Currently, observation and genome type detection are commonly used to identify banana germplasm resources. However, observation is tedious, while genome type detection cannot distinguish categories below genome types. It is, therefore, urgent to establish a simple and effective method for identifying banana germplasm resources. This study sequenced and analyzed the ribosomal DNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences of 62 banana germplasm resources and found that the sequencing peaks, especially the 20 bp region near the 420-bp position (referred to as the 420-bp region), exhibited relatively recognizable and repeatable polymorphism characteristics. Using the 420-bp region as a marker, we were able to quickly distinguish bananas belonging to different genome type groups or different subgroups in the same genome type group. Moreover, it appeared that Sanger sequencing of ITS could be used to identify hybrid banana offspring. In general, ITS sequencing simplifies the classification of banana germplasm resources and has potential application in several areas of Musa improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new species of Russula subg. Brevipes, growing in Sal-dominated forests is described based on macro- and micromorphological and molecular evidence. It is distinguished macroscopically by small to medium-sized and ivory to white-coloured fruit bodies, globose to sub-globose basidiospores, and clavate or cylindrical hymenial cystidia with a mucronate to rounded apex. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fungi compose a minority but a common component of normal oral microbiota and contribute to oral and systemic health by interacting with bacterial inhabitants. This study investigated the relationship of oral fungal profiles to health status and bacterial profiles of 159 elderly adults receiving community support and home care services. Fungal and bacterial densities and compositions were determined based on the fungal ribosomal internal transcribed spacer region and bacterial 16S rRNA gene amplicon analyses, respectively. The total fungal density of 87 individuals exceeded 5,000 copies, and their microbiota was characterized by significantly less dense bacterial populations and lower relative abundances of oral health-associated taxa, such as Neisseria perflava and Porphyromonas pasteri, compared with those with less than 5,000 copies of fungi. These individuals were significantly older, had fewer teeth, had lower physical function, and comprised more denture users and individuals with cognitive decline. Fungal compositions were classified into three profiles (Candida albicans-dominant, non-albicans Candida-dominant, and non-Candida-dominant), and individuals with a non-albicans Candida-dominant profile exhibited significantly lower physical and cognitive function than those with the Candida albicans-dominant profile. These results demonstrate that a high-density fungal population co-occurs with poor oral and systemic health status of the host and dysbiosis of the bacterial community, and particularly, the overgrowth of non-albicans Candida species may be implicated in worsening systemic conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Botryosphaeriaceae fungi cause infections that generate disease symptoms in plants in extreme environments. The present study identified the causal agent of dieback disease on lebbeck trees in Saudi Arabia. Albizia lebbeck trees showed widespread dieback, decline and cracking symptoms of samples taken during a Qassim University, Saudi Arabia survey. The survey showed that over 80% of lebbeck trees showed wilted roots, stem cankers and death of wilted trees. Fungal colonies were obtained from symptomatic tissues cultured on water agar for 3 weeks at 25°C. Elongation factor alpha (EF1‐728 F, AL33R), ITS (ITS4) and LSU (128) regions of the rDNA operon and the partial beta‐tubulin gene (tub2; Bt2aF, Bt2bR) were sequenced for molecular identification. Based on morphological and molecular characterization, the pathogen was identified as Neoscytalidium dimidiatum. During the pathogenicity investigation, the fungus re‐isolated from the infected seedlings expressed the same morphological characteristics on the culture media as the N. dimidiatum isolate. A host range study involving six tree species inoculation with N. dimidiatum caused wilting and death in three plants. To our knowledge, this study is the first to report on N. dimidiatum in Saudi Arabia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tectona grandis is a vital hardwood tree species with substantial industrial and economic importance. From 2020 to 2021, an unusual leaf blight disease was observed in T. grandis saplings planted in the Nursery of the Central Agroforestry Research Institute (CAFRI), Jhansi, India. Disease incidence was recorded as 50%–70% with 40%–82% severity over two consecutive years on over 1000 saplings. The leaf blight disease was extensive, leading to defoliation of young leaves and mortality of teak saplings in the nursery. The pathogen was identified as Alternaria alternata following standard laboratory procedures and sequence analysis of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of the ribosomal RNA (rRNA). The pathogenicity of two isolates, A. alternata TgAa1 and TgAa2, was proven under greenhouse conditions. Phylogenetic analysis revealed the close association of TgAa1 and TgAa2 with other pathogenic A. alternata strains in the NCBI database. A. alternata is considered a severe foliar pathogen, known to cause leaf spot and leaf blight diseases in many annual and perennial plant species. Correct diagnosis and prevention are emphasized to contain the spread of teak leaf blight to other regions in India. This is the first report of A. alternata causing Tectona grandis leaf blight in the Bundelkhand region of India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traffic flow prediction is one of the challenges in the development of an Intelligent Transportation System (ITS). Accurate traffic flow prediction helps to alleviate urban traffic congestion and improve urban traffic efficiency, which is crucial for promoting the synergistic development of smart transportation and smart cities. With the development of deep learning, many deep neural networks have been proposed to address this problem. However, due to the complexity of traffic maps and external factors, such as sports events, these models cannot perform well in long-term prediction. In order to enhance the accuracy and robustness of the model on long-term time series prediction, a Graph Attention Informer (GAT-Informer) structure is proposed by combining the graph attention layer and informer layer to capture the intrinsic features and external factors in spatial–temporal correlation. The external factors are represented as sports events impact factors. The GAT-Informer model was tested on real-world data collected in London, and the experimental results showed that our model has better performance in long-term traffic flow prediction compared to other baseline models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: A new species, Pratylenchus platyceriumis sp. n., was intercepted in the roots and rhizosphere of Platycerium spp. imported from Thailand. It is characterised by sexual adults with lip region containing two annuli, the lateral field with four equidistant lines, partially areolated, the female stylet (16.5-18.7 μ m) robust with broadly rounded knobs, V = (70.2-79.2), with a large oval spermatheca often full of sperm, tail subcylindrical to conoid, and terminus obliquely truncated to conical with variable mucrons or projections. Male spicules are arch-shaped, the gubernaculum trough-shaped, the tail conoid, with tip narrow and pointed and bursa striated instead of crenate. The new species is close to Pratylenchus coffeae , P. dakotaensis , P. goodeyi , P. gutierrezi , P. horti , P. morettoi , P. okinawaensis , P. panamaensis , P. pratensis , P. pseudocoffeae , P. speijeri , P. yamagutii and P. ventroprojectus , but different. Phylogenetic analyses using D2-D3 expansion domains of the 28S rRNA gene, the ITS region, the partial 18S rRNA gene and the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) gene confirm its classification as a new species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ITS sections, which are situated inside the ribosomal DNA operon, are recognized for their high levels of diversity and slow rate of evolution, which makes them important for plant phylogenetic studies. The objective of this work is to use the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions of 18 alfalfa (Medicago sativa) genotypes/varieties to determine their genetic relationships and to verify possible genetic markers for variety identification and classification. This has been done by validating the secondary structures of the ITS regions and observing the effects of the relationships among the lowest energy state, the total number of possible secondary structure hairpins, and (GC) content. The results indicated that the length of the ITS sequences varied between 426 and 629 nucleotides and that the G + C content of the ITS region varied between 46.6 and 50%. In this study, the analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) was used to validate the effectiveness of configuration analysis and revealed that fluctuations in the data accounted for a substantial amount of the observed total variance. Moreover, 94 percent of the genotypes analyzed exhibited a significant degree of variety. This shows that a large fraction of the observed variation is likely attributable to genetic variables. Population four, comprising Bilensoy80, Emily, Quin, Vendor, and Felicia, had the highest degree of heterozygosity at 68.8%, whereas population two, including Gozlu1, Prosementi, Nimet and Local (Van), had the lowest level at 37.5%. The original Shannon's approach as an unbiased estimator employed in population genetics research validated the differences among alfalfa genotypes with the AMOVA analysis results of this study. Individual differences were found to be 59%, whereas population differences were found to be 41%. There have been a few ITS studies on Medicago sativa that have utilized ITS as a phylogenetic marker to estimate connections and define new taxonomic categories (e.g., tribes). However, our research also includes an analysis of the secondary structure of these sequences and the results of this study imply that ITS sequence and secondary structure data can be utilized to understand the intraspecific genetic makeup of different alfalfa varieties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food fraud is a problematic yet common phenomenon in the food industry. It impacts numerous sectors, including the market of edible mushrooms. Morel mushrooms are prized worldwide for their culinary and medicinal use. They represent a taxonomically complex group in which food fraud has already been reported. Among the methods to evaluate food fraud, some rely on comparisons of genetic sequences obtained from a sample to existing databases. However, the quality and usefulness of the results are limited by the type of comparison tool and the quality of the database used. The Centroid‐based approach is applied by SmartGene in a proprietary artificial intelligence‐based method for the generation of automatically curated reference databases that can be further expert curated. In this study, using sequences of the ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) of the genus Morchella (true morels), we compared this approach to the traditional pairwise alignment tool using two other databases: UNITE and Mycobank (MLST). The Centroid‐based approach using an expert‐curated database was more performant for the identification of 53 representative ITS sequences corresponding to validated species (83% accuracy, compared to 36% and 47% accuracy for UNITE and MLST, respectively). The Centroid method also revealed an inaccurate taxonomic annotation for sequences of commercial cultivars submitted to public databases. Combined with the web‐based commercial software IDNS® available at Smartgene, the Centroid‐based approach constitutes a valuable tool to ensure the quality of morel products on the market for actors of the food industry. Practical Application: The Centroid‐based approach can be used by agri‐food actors who need to identify true morels down to the species level without any prior taxonomical knowledge. These include routine laboratories of the food industry, food distributors, and public surveillance agencies. This is a reliable method that requires minimal skills and resources, therefore being particularly adapted for nonspecialists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aims to reveal phylogenetic and phylogeographical patterns of the Eurasian species of Allium subg. Amerallium, covering 75% of the species in the Mediterranean region and East Asia, as well as 12 North American species representing most sections of the monophyletic American part of the subgenus. We sampled 38 species of A. subg. Amerallium out of a total of 52 species from the Old World. A molecular phylogeny of A. subg. Amerallium was constructed based on predominantly non‐coding sequences from two nuclear ribosomal RNA regions (ITS, ETS), and four chloroplast (cp) regions (trnL‐trnF, atpB‐rbcL, rpl32‐trnL, rps16 intron). Most clades are well supported in the analyses of the combined nuclear and chloroplast data. However, analyses of single chloroplast fragments produced different topologies, which can be explained by differences in the variability of the chloroplast regions studied. Analysis of all cpDNA fragments combined produced a similar topology compared to the tree based on nuclear data. Most sections in the Eurasian part of A. subg. Amerallium are monophyletic. Only the position of A. chamaemoly (monotypic A. sect. Chamaeprason) nested in A. sect. Molium makes the latter paraphyletic. Different positions of A. chamaemoly within nuclear and plastid trees indicate an ancient hybridogenic origin. Monophyly of the American species of A. subg. Amerallium suggests an origin from extinct North Asian taxa. Currently, only one species from this ancient group, A. kingdonii, still exists in the eastern Himalayas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eldana saccharina Walker is a problematic sugarcane stalk borer pest in South Africa. Twenty-eight sugarcane genotypes (Saccharum spp. hybrids) and seven different species of host plants of E. saccharina were surveyed for the presence of endophytic Beauveria bassianasensu lato (s.l.). Collectively, 326 plant samples (roots, stems, or leaves) were collected from five locations in sugarcane-producing areas (KwaZulu-Natal; South Africa). Following plant surface disinfection, 128 fungal colonies morphologically resembling Beauveria spp. were isolated from internal plant tissues. The sequence analysis of the internal transcribed spacer region confirmed that 13 representative isolates were B. bassiana.s.l. Eight B. bassiana isolates were recovered from E. saccharina natural host plants, and 120 from different sugarcane stem parts (top node, top internodes, bottom node, and bottom internode). Endophytic B. bassiana isolates were recovered from 22 of 28 sugarcane genotypes surveyed. The number of B. bassiana isolates obtained from different sugarcane parts differed significantly, with more B. bassiana isolates obtained from the top than the bottom internodes. Furthermore, sugarcane genotypes N31 and N41 yielded B. bassiana from all plant parts sampled, while five sugarcane genotypes harbored no B. bassiana isolates. This study demonstrates for the first time the natural occurrence of endophytic B. bassiana strains in sugarcane plants and E. saccharina host plants in South Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, the global asymptotic synchronization (GAS) is investigated for the drive-response coupled heterogeneous complex networks (DRCHCNS). By using inequality techniques (ITS) and Laplace transform approach (LTA), two criteria for assuring the GAS for the DRCHCNS are put forward. Up to now, the results on GAS for DRCHCNS have been derived usually in various journals by applying linear matrix inequality (LMI) and matrix measure approach (MMA). However, in this work, without applying above approaches, the GAS criteria for the DRCHCNS are obtained by using the LTA. The LTA is introduced to study the GAS in our study for the complex networks (CNS), which extends the study fields of synchronization of the CNS. So our study is of very important meaning in synchronization study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Yanyan Jiang,1 Zhengzheng Chen,1 Huoyang Lv,2 Lihua Jiang,1 Zhiyuan Fan3 1Medical Laboratory Center, Tongxiang First People’s Hospital, Jiaxing, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China; 2Medical Laboratory Center, Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Emergency Medicine, Tongxiang First People’s Hospital, Jiaxing, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Zhiyuan Fan, Department of Emergency Medicine, Tongxiang First People’s Hospital, Jiaxing, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China, Email fanzhiyuan19880916@126.comBackground: Magnusiomyces capitatus (M. capitatus) is a dimorphic opportunistic fungus that is a rare yeast and rarely reported in Asia. Owing to the absence of established clinical breakpoints, the treatment of this fungus poses challenges.Case Presentation: We report a rare case of a young, non-immunocompromised man with cerebral palsy, spinal deformity, and pulmonary M. capitatus infection. The patient’s condition improved after treatment with voriconazole and became stable.Conclusion: M. capitatus infection is commonly associated with hematologic tumors and compromised immunity. Reports of M. capitatus infection in patients with non-immunocompromised host are uncommon. Insufficient understanding of these fungi may lead to underdiagnosis of fungal infection and clinical misdiagnosis, potentially resulting in delayed treatment and increased mortality.Keywords: invasive fungal infection, Magnusiomyces capitatus, MALDI-TOF MS, ITS, cerebral palsy, spinal deformity

Background: An ectoparasite known as Dermanyssus gallinae feeds on infected blood with a high frequency in European chicken farms resulting in significant economic losses. Aim: The objective of the current work was to characterize D. gallinae, which infests laying hens on farms in Southern Al-Baha morphologically, molecularly, and to determine evolutionary relationship between the species. Methods: All mites that were morphologically recognized as D. gallinae were submitted to molecular analysis by PCR, which focused on the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (cox1) and internal transcribed spacers (ITS) of ribosomal DNA. Results: Morphological identification of the parasites uncovered three distinct features: a triangular anal shield, a broader than longer sternal shield, and a rounded posterior genitoventral shield. Each D. gallinae sample was amplified using a single band, measuring 550 bp for the cox1-targeting PCR, and 530 bp for the ITS-targeting PCR. The sequences of D. gallinae were added to the GenBank. Conclusion: At molecular identification level, this research identifies D. gallinae in Al-Baha for the first time. The results collectively provide a foundation for further research to understand the epidemiology and the part of this superfamily in the epidemiology of certain zoonosis. [Open Vet J 2024; 14(7.000): 1568-1576]

Abstract Background Tongoloa is a genus comprising approximately 20 species, primarily distributed in the mountainous regions of southwest China. The insufficiency of specimen materials and morphological similarities among species render it a taxonomically challenging genus within the Apiaceae family. To elucidate the phylogenetic relationships and taxonomy of Chinese Tongoloa, this study utilized a total of 115 nrITS sequences, including 47 recently obtained sequences, for phylogenetic reconstruction. Results Phylogenetic relationships reconstructed from ITS sequences indicate that the East Asia Clade and the Komarovia Clade are sister groups, and Tongoloa belongs to the East Asia Clade. Species of Tongoloa are subdivided into 3 distinct groups, all sharing similar fruit morphologies and are clearly differentiated from related taxa. Several Tongoloa-like members classified under other genera are interpreted to be closely related to Tongoloa. Morphological and molecular data indicate that Tongoloa, Sinolimprichtia subclade and Chinese Trachydium subclade are separate yet genetically contiguous taxa. It is confirmed that Tongoloa zhongdianensis belongs to the Hymenidium Clade, while Sinocarum is classified within the Acronema Clade. Two new taxa are found in the Hengduan Mountains. Conclusion Tongoloa is a genus within the East Asia Clade of Apiaceae, and the phylogeny reconstructed based on ITS sequences divides it into 3 main groups. By integrating fruit morphology and molecular phylogenetic analyses, we preliminary clarified the intricate taxonomic relationships among Tongoloa and related taxa. These results provide valuable opportunities for a deeper understanding of the phylogeny of Tongoloa.

Abstract This paper documents the occurrence of the genus Umbilicaria in the Argentine Islands–Kyiv Peninsula region of the Graham Coast in the maritime Antarctic. The presence of seven Umbilicaria species (U. africana, U. antarctica, U. aprina, U. decussata, U. kappenii, U. nylanderiana and U. umbilicarioides) in the ice-free areas of the Argentine Islands–Kyiv Peninsula region were confirmed. The species of U. africana and U. aprina are documented from the studied region for the first time. This study moves the southern distribution limit of U. africana about 300 km to the south: to the Argentine Islands–Kyiv Peninsula region. The distribution maps of Umbilicaria species for the studied region and maritime Antarctica are prepared.

Abstract Efficient transportation systems are essential for the development of smart cities. Autonomous vehicles and Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) are crucial components of such systems, contributing to safe, reliable, and sustainable transportation. They can reduce traffic congestion, improve traffic flow, and enhance road safety, thereby making urban transportation more efficient and environmentally friendly. We present an innovative combination of photonic radar technology and Support Vector Machine classification, aimed at improving multi-target detection in complex traffic scenarios. Central to our approach is the Frequency-Modulated Continuous-Wave photonic radar, augmented with spatial multiplexing, enabling the identification of multiple targets in various environmental conditions, including challenging weather. Notably, our system achieves an impressive range resolution of 7 cm, even under adverse weather conditions, utilizing an operating bandwidth of 4 GHz. This feature is particularly crucial for precise detection and classification in dynamic traffic environments. The radar system's low power requirement and compact design enhance its suitability for deployment in autonomous vehicles. Through comprehensive numerical simulations, our system demonstrated its capability to accurately detect targets at varying distances and movement states, achieving classification accuracies of 75% for stationary and 33% for moving targets. This research substantially contributes to ITS by offering a sophisticated solution for obstacle detection and classification, thereby improving the safety and efficiency of autonomous vehicles navigating through urban environments.

Molecular study of Circinaria specimens collected in arid habitats of the Chuya Steppe showed the existence of two different growth forms, crustose and vagrant, in C. tominii that implies a more complex lifecycle of the species compared to that postulated by Mereschkowsky for vagrant taxa. An ITS phylogeny revealed the position of Circinaria tominii relative to three vagrant species, C. alpicola , C. aschabadensis and C. jussufii . Circinaria tominii was first collected in 1926 and was rediscovered in its type locality 90 years later in the only habitat near Ortolyk settlement in the Republic of Altai (Russia). The species is found on soil in stony habitats of the Chuya Steppe. The estimated abundance of the species reaches several hundred specimens.

One important ecological question regarding the use of plant resistance genes against fungal pathogens concerns whether and how such resistance genes may modify pathogenic or beneficial members of the plant-associated microbiota. We studied the impact of a plant resistance gene by analyzing the mycobiota associated with Brassica napus organs over two cropping seasons. Sampling dates coincided with key stages of the life cycle of the B. napus pathogen Leptosphaeria maculans. Leaf samples were collected at three time points in autumn and spring, and stem base samples were collected at two time points a few weeks before and at harvest. Stem residues, where L. maculans survives in the intercropping season and develops sexual reproduction, were also analyzed at four time points between the two cropping seasons. The sampling was performed on two plant genotypes, Darmor and Darmor-Rlm11, only differing by the effective resistance gene against L. maculans, Rlm11. Altogether, 419 samples were analyzed using two barcode: internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and Actin. The plant organ was shown to be the main mycobiota structuring factor, as clear-cut alternation of the species suggested that each plant organ represented a specific ecological niche. The cropping season and plant genotype also significantly influenced the community structure in lower proportions. The resistance gene contributed differently to the community structure depending on the year and the organ concerned. A significant but low impact of Rlm11 on other B. napus fungal pathogens was detected. The ITS and Actin barcodes showed similar results, but the species assignation was limited for the latter.

Abstract Background Fungi play a key role in several important ecological functions, ranging from organic matter decomposition to symbiotic associations with plants. Moreover, fungi naturally inhabit the human body and can be beneficial when administered as probiotics. In mycology, the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region was adopted as the universal marker for classifying fungi. Hence, an accurate and robust method for ITS classification is not only desired for the purpose of better diversity estimation, but it can also help us gain a deeper insight into the dynamics of environmental communities and ultimately comprehend whether the abundance of certain species correlate with health and disease. Although many methods have been proposed for taxonomic classification, to the best of our knowledge, none of them fully explore the taxonomic tree hierarchy when building their models. This in turn, leads to lower generalization power and higher risk of committing classification errors. Results Here we introduce HiTaC, a robust hierarchical machine learning model for accurate ITS classification, which requires a small amount of data for training and can handle imbalanced datasets. HiTaC was thoroughly evaluated with the established TAXXI benchmark and could correctly classify fungal ITS sequences of varying lengths and a range of identity differences between the training and test data. HiTaC outperforms state-of-the-art methods when trained over noisy data, consistently achieving higher F1-score and sensitivity across different taxonomic ranks, improving sensitivity by 6.9 percentage points over top methods in the most noisy dataset available on TAXXI. Conclusions HiTaC is publicly available at the Python package index, BIOCONDA and Docker Hub. It is released under the new BSD license, allowing free use in academia and industry. Source code and documentation, which includes installation and usage instructions, are available at https://gitlab.com/dacs-hpi/hitac .

Abstract Background Trichomonosis is a common infection in small animals, mostly manifesting in gastrointestinal symptoms such as diarrhea. Although oral trichomonads are also known, the species found colonizing the large intestine are more frequently detected protozoa. Methods In the present study, four wildcats, 94 domestic cats, and 25 dogs, originating from 18 different locations in Hungary, were investigated for the presence of oral and large intestinal trichomonads based on the 18S rRNA gene and ITS2. Results All oral swabs were negative by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). However, Tritrichomonas foetus was detected in a high proportion among tested domestic cats (13.8%) and dogs (16%), and Pentatrichomonas hominis only in two domestic cats. In addition, a novel Tritrichomonas genotype was identified in one cat, probably representing a new species that was shown to be phylogenetically most closely related to Tritrichomonas casperi described recently from mice. All positive dogs and half of the positive cats showed symptoms, and among cats, the most frequent breed was the Ragdoll. Conclusions With molecular methods, this study evaluated the prevalence of oral and intestinal trichomonads in clinical samples of dogs and cats from Hungary, providing the first evidence of T. foetus in dogs of this region. In contrast to literature data, P. hominis was more prevalent in cats than in dogs. Finally, a hitherto unknown large intestinal Tritrichomonas species (closely related to T. casperi) was shown to be present in a cat, raising two possibilities. First, this novel genotype might have been a rodent-associated pseudoparasite in the relevant cat. Otherwise, the cat was actually infected, thus suggesting the role of a predator–prey link in the evolution of this trichomonad. Graphical Abstract

Abstract The marine holothurian-derived fungal strain KMM 4401 has been identified as Paragliomastix luzulae using 28S rDNA, ITS regions and the partial TEF1 gene sequences. The metabolite profile of the fungal culture was studied by UPLC-MS technique. The strain KMM 4401 is a source of various virescenoside-type isopimarane glycosides suggested as chemotaxonomic feature for this fungal species. Also Px. luzulae KMM 4401 was proposed as possible source of new bioactive secondary metabolites especially antimicrobials. Moreover, the co-cultures of Px. luzulae KMM 4401 with another marine fungus Penicillium hispanicum KMM 4689 inoculated simultaneously or after two weeks were investigated by same way. It was shown, that P. hispanicum KMM 4689 suppressed the production of most of Px. luzulae KMM 4401 metabolites. On the other hand, the co-cultivation of P. hispanicum KMM 4689 and Px. luzulae KMM 4401 resulted in increasing of production of main deoxyisoaustamide alkaloids of P. hispanicum KMM 4689 on 50–190%. Graphical Abstract

This paper documents the occurrence of the genus Umbilicaria in the Argentine Islands–Kyiv Peninsula region of the Graham Coast in the maritime Antarctic. The presence of seven Umbilicaria species (U. africana, U. antarctica, U. aprina, U. decussata, U. kappenii, U. nylanderiana and U. umbilicarioides) in the ice-free areas of the Argentine Islands–Kyiv Peninsula region were confirmed. The species of U. africana and U. aprina are documented from the studied region for the first time. This study moves the southern distribution limit of U. africana about 300 km to the south: to the Argentine Islands–Kyiv Peninsula region. The distribution maps of Umbilicaria species for the studied region and maritime Antarctica are prepared. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Fungi play a key role in several important ecological functions, ranging from organic matter decomposition to symbiotic associations with plants. Moreover, fungi naturally inhabit the human body and can be beneficial when administered as probiotics. In mycology, the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region was adopted as the universal marker for classifying fungi. Hence, an accurate and robust method for ITS classification is not only desired for the purpose of better diversity estimation, but it can also help us gain a deeper insight into the dynamics of environmental communities and ultimately comprehend whether the abundance of certain species correlate with health and disease. Although many methods have been proposed for taxonomic classification, to the best of our knowledge, none of them fully explore the taxonomic tree hierarchy when building their models. This in turn, leads to lower generalization power and higher risk of committing classification errors. Results: Here we introduce HiTaC, a robust hierarchical machine learning model for accurate ITS classification, which requires a small amount of data for training and can handle imbalanced datasets. HiTaC was thoroughly evaluated with the established TAXXI benchmark and could correctly classify fungal ITS sequences of varying lengths and a range of identity differences between the training and test data. HiTaC outperforms state-of-the-art methods when trained over noisy data, consistently achieving higher F1-score and sensitivity across different taxonomic ranks, improving sensitivity by 6.9 percentage points over top methods in the most noisy dataset available on TAXXI. Conclusions: HiTaC is publicly available at the Python package index, BIOCONDA and Docker Hub. It is released under the new BSD license, allowing free use in academia and industry. Source code and documentation, which includes installation and usage instructions, are available at https://gitlab.com/dacs-hpi/hitac. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]