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Two populations of Xiphinema persicum n. sp. belonging to the X. americanum-group, were recovered from Semnan province, and described and illustrated based upon morphological, morphometric and molecular data. The type population of the new species is characterized by 2233–2736 μm long females, offset lip region, anteriorly flat to slightly rounded and separated from the rest body by constriction, 82–87 μm long odontostyle, two equally developed genital branches with visible endosymbiont bacteria in ovaries under light microscope, vulva at 52.8–55.5%, 27–32 μm long dorsally convex and ventrally straight to slightly convex tail with a rounded tip, or having a wide mucro-like differentiation, rare male with six ventromedian supplements and four juvenile developmental stages. The new species was morphologically compared with six similar species, X. bricolense, X. californicum, X. incertum, X. pachtaicum, X. santos and X. simile. The latter species has closest morphology and phylogenetic affinities to the new species in both large subunit and internal transcribed spacer 1 (LSU and ITS1 rDNA) trees; but X. persicum n. sp. has four juvenile developmental stages (vs. three), longer odontostyle, and posteriorly located guiding ring compared to it. The phylogenetic relationships of the endosymbiont bacterium of the new species with other isolates was reconstructed using the partial sequences of 16S rDNA.

Three populations of Xiphinema primum n. sp. and two populations of X. pachtaicum were recovered from natural forests and cultural regions of northern Iran. Both species belong to the X. americanum-group and were characterized by their morphological, morphometric and molecular data. The new species, which was recovered in three locations, belongs to the X. brevicolle-complex and is characterized by 2124-2981 μm long females with a widely rounded lip region separated from the rest of the body by a depression, 103-125 μm long odontostyle, two equally developed genital branches with endosymbiont bacteria inside the ovary, which are visible under light microscope (LM), vulva located at 51.8-58.0%, the tail is 26-37 μm long with a bluntly rounded end and four juvenile developmental stages. It was morphologically compared with nine similar species viz. X. brevicolle, X. diffusum, X. incognitum, X. himalayense, X. luci, X. parabrevicolle, X. paramonovi, X. parataylori and X. taylori. The second species, X. pachtaicum, was recovered in two geographically distant points close to city of Amol. Molecular phylogenetic studies of the new species were performed using partial sequences of the D2-D3 expansion segments of the large subunit ribosomal RNA gene (LSU rDNA D2-D3), the internal-transcribed spacer rDNA (ITS = ITS1+5.8S+ITS2), and the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I gene (COI mtDNA) regions. The Iranian population of X. pachtaicum was also phylogenetically studied based upon its LSU rDNA D2-D3 sequences. Both species were also inspected for their putative endosymbiont bacteria. Candidatus Xiphinematobacter sp. was detected from two examined populations of the new species, whereas the second endosymbiont bacterium, detected from three examined isolates of X. pachtaicum, was related to the plant and fungal endosymbionts of the family Burkholderiaceae. The phylogenetic analyses of the two endosymbiont bacteria were performed using partial sequences of 16S rDNA. In cophylogenetic analyses, significant levels of cophylogenetic signal were observed using both LSU rDNA D2-D3 and COI mtDNA markers of the host nematodes and 16S rDNA marker of the endosymbiont bacteria.

Woody plants, critical components of ecosystems and urban environments, face significant threats from biotic agents that compromise their health and longevity. Pathogen-induced exudations, gummosis, wetwood, bleeding, and oozing, are critical yet poorly understood physiological responses compromising the health of woody plants across global ecosystems. This review synthesizes advances revealing how diverse pathogens (bacteria, fungi, oomycetes, viruses, nematodes) subvert host physiology to trigger exudate formation through molecular cascades that disrupt vascular integrity, reprogram defense gene expression, and drive cellular degradation. Exudates emerge from a paradox: while serving as host defense mechanisms, they concurrently act as vectors for secondary infections and alter soil microbiomes. Environmental stressors, intensified by climate change, amplify exudation by weakening tree resilience and enhancing pathogen virulence. Critically, chronic exudation accelerates tree decline, linking localized symptoms (twig/branch colonization) to landscape-scale mortality. We highlight the ecological duality of exudates as both disease biomarkers and ecosystem modulators of nutrient cycling. Integrating multi-omics tools and ecological frameworks, we propose holistic strategies to mitigate pathogen impacts. Future research must decipher host-pathogen crosstalk and harness resilience traits to safeguard forests and urban trees in an era of global change.

Enhancing plant productivity and sustainability necessitates a holistic understanding of multitrophic plant-environment interactions. Plants function as meta-organisms (holobionts), intimately linked with diverse microbial communities, soil biota, and insects, forming complex networks that govern ecosystem functioning and plant resilience. This review synthesizes current knowledge on five critical dimensions: (I) the structural diversity and functional roles of plant-associated microbial communities (rhizosphere, phyllosphere, endosphere) in nutrient cycling, stress tolerance, and pathogen suppression; (II) soil health as a dynamic nexus, integrating physical, chemical, and biological properties modulated by microbial activity; (III) the dualistic nature of insect-plant relationships, encompassing herbivory, pollination, seed dispersal, and biological control; (IV) the profound impacts of climate change and biodiversity loss on species distributions, interaction dynamics, and ecosystem stability; and (V) emergent cross-system synergies arising from microbe-insect-plant-soil feedback loops. We highlight the molecular mechanisms underpinning these interactions, including plant immune signaling, symbiotic communication via root exudates and volatiles, and the mediating role of microbiomes. Anthropogenic pressures (agricultural intensification, pollution, land-use change) disrupt these finely tuned systems, reducing microbial diversity, altering soil function, and destabilizing ecological balances. A deeper mechanistic understanding of these interconnected networks is imperative for developing innovative strategies, such as microbiome engineering, biodiversity conservation, precision agriculture, and nano-hybrid applications, to enhance stress resistance, optimize resource use, and foster sustainable agricultural and ecosystem resilience in the face of global environmental challenges.

A new species of the genus Longidorus, L. hyrcanus n. sp., is described and illustrated based upon two populations, recovered in two distant points in northern Iran. Morphologically, it is characterized by having 5.0–5.8 mm long females with rounded lip region continuous with body contour, amphidial fovea pocket-shaped, asymmetrically bilobed at base, odontostyle 110–127 μm long, tail short, rounded or bluntly conoid, with widely rounded terminus, four juvenile developmental stages and common males. The polytomous codes delimiting the new species are: A45-B12-C34-D1-E2-F23-G12-H12-I2-J1-K1. The new species resembles twelve known species of the genus mainly by having similarities in rounded lip region continuous with body contour and tail short, rounded or bluntly conoid, with widely rounded terminus and/or having close phylogenetic affinities (e.g. L. elongatus) namely: Longidorus baeticus, L. crataegi, L. elongatus, L. fasciatus, L. hangzhouensis, L. igoris, L. iranicus, L. iuglandis, L. orientalis, L. pacensis, L. profundorum and L. raskii. The morphological differences of the new species with aforementioned species are discussed. The phylogenetic relationships of the new species with other relevant species of the genus were reconstructed using D2-D3 expansion segments of large ribosomal subunit and internal transcribed spacer (LSU D2-D3 and ITS) rDNA sequences, and the resolved topologies were discussed.

Anguina obesa n. sp., a new species of the genus, causing small seed galls inside the ovaries of foxtail weed plants ( Alopecurus mysuroides Huds.) is described and illustrated based on its morphological and molecular characters. The new species is characterized by its 1516–2564 μm long obese females irregularly ventrally curved after fixation, having six lines in lateral fields, 6–9 μm long stylet with well-developed rounded knobs, constriction at junction of isthmus with the pharyngeal bulb, monodelphic-prodelphic female reproductive system, and conical, 60–80 μm long tail. Males of the new species are characterized with their slender 936–1420 μm long body, 25–30 μm long tylenchoid spicules, and bursa not reaching tail tip. Second stage juveniles of the new species were also common inside the galls and also recovered from soil in type locality. The new species is morphologically close to Anguina agropyronifloris , A. amsinckiae , A. paludicola and A. tumefaciens , but is more closely related to A. paludicola , from which it can be separated based on differences in morphological characters and internal transcribed spacer sequence. In Bayesian inference using sequences of the aforementioned genomic fragment, the new species formed a clade with A. agrostis , A. funesta , A. graminis , A. phalaridis and some unidentified isolates, with robust Bayesian posterior probability (BPP). The morphologically closest species, A. paludicola , occupied a separate position, outside of the clade containing the new species. The sequences of two other genomic fragments, 18S and 28S rDNA (D2/D3 region) were also made available for the new species. Morphological comparisons of the new species with the related species are discussed.

In the original version of this article, the name of host plant Alopecurus myosuroides was incorrectly written as Alopecurus mysuroides.