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During the diversification of Fungi and the rise of conifer-dominated and angiosperm-dominated forests, mutualistic symbioses developed between certain trees and ectomycorrhizal fungi that enabled these trees to colonize boreal and temperate regions. The evolutionary success of these symbioses is evident from phylogenomic analyses that suggest that ectomycorrhizal fungi have arisen in approximately 60 independent saprotrophic lineages, which has led to the wide range of ectomycorrhizal associations that exist today. In this Review, we discuss recent genomic studies that have revealed the adaptations that seem to be fundamental to the convergent evolution of ectomycorrhizal fungi, including the loss of some metabolic functions and the acquisition of effectors that facilitate mutualistic interactions with host plants. Finally, we consider how these insights can be integrated into a model of the development of ectomycorrhizal symbioses.

Covers various themes related to Europe's existing and future dam projects: dams and reservoirs for hydropower in Europe; dams and reservoirs for climate change adaptation in Europe; impact mitigation of dams and reservoirs in Europe; and how to deal with ageing dams in Europe.

In Morocco, cereal production shows high interannual variability due to uncertain rainfall and recurrent drought periods. Considering the socioeconomic importance of cereal for the country, there is a serious need to characterize the impact of drought on cereal yields. In this study, drought is assessed through (1) indices derived from remote sensing data (the vegetation condition index (VCI), temperature condition index (TCI), vegetation health ind ex (VHI), soil moisture condition index (SMCI) and soil water index for different soil layers (SWI)) and (2) key land surface variables (Land Area Index (LAI), soil moisture (SM) at different depths, soil evaporation and plant transpiration) from a Land Data Assimilation System (LDAS) over 2000–2017. A lagged correlation analysis was conducted to assess the relationships between the drought indices and cereal yield at monthly time scales. The VCI and LAI around the heading stage (March-April) are highly linked to yield for all provinces (R = 0.94 for the Khemisset province), while a high link for TCI occurs during the development stage in January-February (R = 0.83 for the Beni Mellal province). Interestingly, indices related to soil moisture in the superficial soil layer are correlated with yield earlier in the season around the emergence stage (December). The results demonstrate the clear added value of using an LDAS compared with using a remote sensing product alone, particularly concerning the soil moisture in the root-zone, considered a key variable for yield production, that is not directly observable from space. The time scale of integration is also discussed. By integrating the indices on the main phenological stages of wheat using a dynamic threshold approach instead of the monthly time scale, the correlation between indices and yield increased by up to 14%. In addition, the contributions of VCI and TCI to VHI were optimized by using yield anomalies as proxies for drought. This study opens perspectives for the development of drought early warning systems in Morocco and over North Africa, as well as for seasonal crop yield forecasting.

Abscisic acid (ABA) is an important hormone for seed development and germination whose physiological action is modulated by its endogenous levels. Cleavage of carotenoid precursors by 9-cis epoxycarotenoid dioxygenase (NCED) and inactivation of ABA by ABA 8'-hydroxylase (CYP707A) are key regulatory metabolic steps. In Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), both enzymes are encoded by multigene families, having distinctive expression patterns. To evaluate the genome-wide impact of ABA deficiency in developing seeds at the maturation stage when dormancy is induced, we used a nced2569 quadruple mutant in which ABA deficiency is mostly restricted to seeds, thus limiting the impact of maternal defects on seed physiology. ABA content was very low in nced2569 seeds, similar to the severe mutant aba2; unexpectedly, ABA glucose ester was detected in aba2 seeds, suggesting the existence of an alternative metabolic route. Hormone content in nced2569 seeds compared with nced259 and wild-type strongly suggested that specific expression of NCED6 in the endosperm is mainly responsible for ABA production. In accordance, transcriptome analyses revealed broad similarities in gene expression between nced2569 and either wild type or nced259 developing seeds. Gene ontology enrichments revealed a large spectrum of ABA activation targets involved in reserve storage and desiccation tolerance, and repression of photosynthesis and cell cycle. Proteome and metabolome profiles in dry nced2569 seeds, compared with wild-type and cyp707a1a2 seeds, also highlighted an inhibitory role of ABA on remobilisation of reserves, ROS production, and protein oxidation. Down-regulation of these oxidative processes by ABA may have an essential role in dormancy control.

Aim Species distribution models (SDMs) have emerged as essential tools in the equipment of many ecologists, useful to explore species distributions in space and time and answering an assortment of questions related to biogeography, climate change biology and conservation biology. Historically, most SDM research concentrated on well-known organisms, especially vertebrates. In recent years, these tools are becoming increasingly important for predicting the distribution of understudied invertebrate taxa. Here, we reviewed the literature published on main terrestrial arthropod predators (ants, ground beetles and spiders) to explore some of the challenges and opportunities of species distribution modelling in mega-diverse arthropod groups. Location Global. Methods Systematic mapping of the literature and bibliometric analysis. Results Most SDM studies of animals to date have focused either on broad samples of vertebrates or on arthropod species that are charismatic (e.g. butterflies) or economically important (e.g. vectors of disease, crop pests and pollinators). We show that the use of SDMs to map the geography of terrestrial arthropod predators is a nascent phenomenon, with a near-exponential growth in the number of studies over the past ten years and still limited collaborative networks among researchers. There is a bias in studies towards charismatic species and geographical areas that hold lower levels of diversity but greater availability of data, such as Europe and North America. Conclusions Arthropods pose particular modelling challenges that add to the ones already present for vertebrates, but they should also offer opportunities for future SDM research as data and new methods are made available. To overcome data limitations, we illustrate the potential of modern data sources and new modelling approaches. We discuss areas of research where SDMs may be combined with dispersal models and increasingly available phylogenetic and functional data to understand evolutionary changes in ranges and range-limiting traits over past and contemporary time-scales.

Abstract   Planetary health interconnects human well-being with nature, securing a sustainable future and contributing to economic stability and growth. The COVID-19 pandemic laid bare the vulnerabilities of our health systems and the interdependence of global health and economic resilience. Key initiatives - such as the Pandemic Agreement, global efforts to reduce antimicrobial resistance, or the European Health Data Space - offer a unique opportunity to reshape our economic models with planetary health and well-being at their core. These initiatives can catalyse a broader economic transformation - one that values health as an investment rather than a cost, embraces digital and green innovation, and places planetary well-being at the centre of policy and progress. Ms Gallina, Director General for Health and Food Safety, DG SANTE, introduces the topic of the session sets the scene for further discussion. She will highlight key EU achievements from recent years, including the EU’s pivotal role in amending the International Health Regulations, negotiating the Pandemic Agreement, and advancing the development of the European Health Union. Improving the competitiveness of health systems and industry remains a top priority. How can the EU continue to provide an attractive, innovation-friendly environment for research, development, and production of medicines in Europe, in line with the findings of the Draghi Report, while also meeting patients’ needs and environment protection? In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and recent epidemics, global discussions on health system resilience have taken centre stage, with concepts like One Health gaining significant momentum. Which elements from the Pandemic Agreement would be key to support planetary health and well-being, in an evolving global context? The health of populations directly impacts economic performance. Health is both a pre-condition for and a consequence of economic prosperity. How could long-term economic development be encouraged in synergy with efficient and resilient health systems more people centred? What indicators do you believe are most effective in measuring well-being across the EU, and how can they guide policy-making? Digital technology is increasingly changing the way we design and deliver preventive health and care services. COVID-19 pushed further the transformation, speeding up digitalisation in the health sector but also highlighting existing issues. The EU has devoted much energy in the past years to have a common path towards digitalisation, with the entry into force this year of the European Health Data Space, as a cornerstone of the European Health Union. What opportunities can the digitalisation of health services provide in Europe and how could these benefit citizens across the world? What would be potential trade-offs or challenges associated with digitalisation, and how can they be managed? Moderator Martin McKee LSHTM, UK Keynote speaker Sandra Gallina Director General for Health and Food Safety, EC Speakers/Panellists Björn Kümmel Senior global health advisor, Federal Health Ministry, Germany Francesca Colombo Head of the Health Division, OECD Fidelia Cascini Digital health expert, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Italy

The interaction between storm surges and inland run-off has been gaining increasing attention recently, as they have the potential to result in compound floods. In Europe, several flood events of this type have been recorded in the past century in Belgium, France, Ireland, Italy and UK. First projections of compound flood hazard under climate change have been made, but no study has so far analysed whether existing, independent climate and hydrodynamic models are able to reproduce the co-occurrence of storm surges, precipitation, river discharges or waves. Here, we investigate the dependence between the different drivers in different observational and modelled data set, utilizing gauge records and high-resolution outputs of climate reanalyses and hindcasts, hydrodynamic models of European coasts and rivers. The results show considerable regional differences in strength of the dependence in surge–precipitation and surge–discharge pairs. The models reproduce those dependencies, and the time lags between the flood drivers, rather well in north-western Europe, but less successfully in the southern part. Further, we identified several compound flood events in the reanalysis data. We were able to link most of those modelled events with historical reports of flood or storm losses. However, false positives and false negatives were also present in the reanalysis and several large compound floods were missed by the reanalysis. All in all, the study still shows that accurate representation of compound floods by independent models of each driver is possible, even if not yet achievable at every location.

Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) is a highly contagious and devastating viral disease affecting mainly sheep and goats, but also a large number of wild species within the order Artiodactyla. A better understanding of PPR transmission dynamics in multi-host systems is necessary to efficiently control the disease, in particular where wildlife and livestock co-occur. Notably, the role of wildlife in PPR epidemiology is still not clearly understood. Non-invasive strategies to detect PPR infection without the need for animal handling could greatly facilitate research on PPR epidemiology and management of the disease in atypical hosts and in complex field situations. Here, we describe optimized methods for the direct detection of PPR virus genetic material and antigen in fecal samples. We use these methods to determine the detection window of PPR in fecal samples, and compare the sensitivity of these methods to standard invasive sampling and PPR diagnostic methods using field samples collected at a wildlife-livestock interface in Africa. Our results show that quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-QPCR) amplification of PPRV from fecal swabs has good sensitivity in comparison to ocular swabs. Animals infected by PPRV could be identified relatively early on and during the whole course of infection based on fecal samples using RT-QPCR. Partial gene sequences could also be retrieved in some cases, from both fecal and ocular samples, providing important information about virus origin and relatedness to other PPRV strains. Non-invasive strategies for PPRV surveillance could provide important data to fill major gaps in our knowledge of the multi-host PPR epidemiology.

Suberin is a protective hydrophobic barrier consisting of phenolics, glycerol, and a variety of fatty acid derivatives, including C18:0-C22:0 primary fatty alcohols. An eight-member gene family encoding alcohol-forming fatty acyl-coenzyme A reductases (FARs) has been identified in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). Promoter-driven expression of the b-glucuronidase reporter gene indicated that three of these genes, FAR1 (At5g22500), FAR4 (At3g44540), and FAR5 (At3g44550), are expressed in root endodermal cells. The three genes were transcriptionally induced by wounding and salt stress. These patterns of gene expression coincide with known sites of suberin deposition. We then characterized a set of mutants with T-DNA insertions in FAR1, FAR4, or FAR5 and found that the suberin compositions of roots and seed coats were modified in each far mutant. Specifically, C18:0-OH was reduced in far5-1, C20:0-OH was reduced in far4-1, and C22:0-OH was reduced in far1-1. We also analyzed the composition of polymer-bound lipids of leaves before and after wounding and found that the basal levels of C18:0-C22:0 primary alcohols in wild-type leaves were increased by wounding. In contrast, C18:0-OH and C22:0-OH were not increased by wounding in far5-1 and far1-1 mutants, respectively. Heterologous expression of FAR1, FAR4, and FAR5 in yeast confirmed that they are indeed active alcohol-forming FARs with distinct, but overlapping, chain length specificities ranging from C18:0 to C24:0. Altogether, these results indicate that Arabidopsis FAR1, FAR4, and FAR5 generate the fatty alcohols found in root, seed coat, and wound-induced leaf tissue.