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Diacylglycerol kinases (DGKs) play a major role in the production of phosphatidic acid (PtdOH) and were implicated in endomembrane trafficking and signalling cascades. In plants, the role of DGKs is less clear, as PtdOH seems to arise mostly from phospholipase D activity. Here, we investigated the function of the Arabidopsis gene encoding DGK4, which is highly expressed in pollen. In vitro, pollen tubes from homozygous dgk4 plants showed normal morphology, but reduced growth rate and altered stiffness and adhesion properties (revealed by atomic force microscopy). In vivo, dgk4 pollen was able to fertilize wild-type ovules, but self-pollination in dgk4 plants led to fewer seeds and shorter siliques. Phenotypic analysis revealed that the dgk4 mutation affects not only the male germ line but also the vegetative tissue. DGK4-green fluorescent protein fusion imaging revealed a cytosolic localization with a slightly higher signal in the subapical or apical region. dgk4 pollen tubes were found to exhibit perturbations in membrane recycling, and lipid analysis revealed a minor increase of PtdOH concomitant with decreased phosphatidylcholine, compared with wild-type. In vitro, DGK4 was found to exhibit kinase and guanylyl cyclase activity. Quantitative PCR data revealed downregulation of genes related to actin dynamics and phosphoinositide metabolism in mutant pollen, but upregulation of the DGK6 isoform. Altogether, these results are discussed considering a role of DGK4 in signalling cross-talk.

Deltochilum Eschscholtz, 1822 is perhaps the most speciose genus of the tribe Deltochilini sensu Tarasov & Dimitrov (2016) (Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) and has been traditionally divided into eight subgenera. Among them, the subgenus Deltohyboma Lane, 1946, is the most speciose with 47 species, five of which are described here ( D . genieri sp. nov. , D . gilli sp. nov. , D . susanae sp. nov. , D . bolivariensis sp. nov. and D . inesae sp. nov. ), and at least 165 species still undescribed. Due to the large number of species, and for practical purposes, the subgenus is here divided into 19 species-groups, with D . inesae sp. nov. left as incertae sedis . This division into species-groups will help in the reliable identification of species and will aid in the completion of the revision of subgenus. This report is the first part of the taxonomic revision of the subgenus Deltohyboma ; it is based on the examination of all type specimens and almost 9,800 specimens of which approximately 1,200, mostly males, had their genitalia studied. The 19 species-groups recognized here are based mainly on characters described for the first time for Deltohyboma , namely, the state of a) the anterior margin of the clypeus (between the clypeal teeth), b) the internal margin of hypomera, c) the ventral face of the protibia, d) the posterior margin of the metafemur, and e) several new characters resulting from the first detailed study of the aedeagus and the endophallus of the group. Diagnosis, description, geographic distribution, composition and identifications keys (for males as well as males and females) for the species-groups are provided.

Rewilding has been an increasingly popular tool to restore plant–animal interactions and ecological processes impaired by defaunation. However, the reestablishment of such processes has seldom been assessed. We investigated the restoration of ecological interactions following the reintroduction of the brown howler monkey (Alouatta guariba) to a defaunated Atlantic forest site. We expected the reintroduction to restore plant–animal interactions and interactions between howlers and dung beetles, which promote secondary seed dispersal. We estimated the number of interactions expected to be restored by the reintroduction to provide the baseline interaction richness that could be restored. We followed the reintroduced howler monkeys twice a week for 24 months (337 hours total) to assess their diet. We used howler monkey dung in secondary seed dispersal experiments with 2484 seed mimics to estimate the removal rates by dung beetles and collected the beetles to assess community attributes. We compared the potential future contribution of howler monkeys and other frugivores to seed dispersal based on the seed sizes they disperse in other areas where they occur. In 2 years, howler monkeys consumed 60 animal-dispersed plant species out of the 330 estimated. Twenty-one dung beetle species were attracted to experimentally provided dung; most of them were tunnelers, nocturnal, and large-sized (>10 mm). On average 30% (range 0–100%) of the large seed mimics (14 mm) were moved by dung beetles. About 91% of the species consumed by howlers (size range 0.3–34.3 mm) overlapped in seed size with those removed by dung beetles. In our study area, howler monkeys may consume more large-seeded fruit species than most other frugivores, highlighting their potential to affect forest regeneration. Our results show reintroductions may effectively restore ecological links and enhance ecological processes. El resalvajamiento cada vez crece más como una herramienta popular para restaurar las interacciones entre animales y plantas, así como los procesos ecológicos perjudicados por la pérdida de fauna. Sin embargo, el restablecimiento de dichos procesos ha sido poco evaluado. Investigamos la restauración de las interacciones ecológicas después de la reintroducción del mono aulladorpardo (Alouatta guariba) a un sitiode bosque atlántico con pérdida de fauna. Nuestras expectativas planteaban que la reintroducción restauraría las interacciones planta–animal y las interacciones entre los monos y los escarabajos peloteros, la cual promueve la dispersión secundaria de semillas. Estimamos que el número de interacciones que se esperaba fueran restauradas proporcionaría la línea base para la riqueza de interacciones que podría ser restaurada. Seguimos a los monos aulladores reintroducidos dos veces por semana durante 24 meses (227 horas en total) para evaluar su dieta. Usamos las excretas de los monos en experimentos de dispersión secundariade semillas con 2484 imitaciones de semilla para estimar las tasas de extracción por parte de los escarabajos peloteros y luego los colectamos para evaluar los atributos de la comunidad. Comparamos la potencial contribución futura de los monos aulladores y otros frugívoros para la dispersión de semillas con base en el tamaño de las semillas que dispersan en otras áreas en donde están presentes. En dos años los monos aulladores consumieron 60 especies de plantas dispersadas por animales de las 330 estimadas. Veintiún especies de escarabajos peloteros fueron atraídos por las excretas proporcionadas experimentalmente; la mayoría de ellas eran excavadoras de túneles, nocturnas, y grandes (>10 mm). En promedio, el 30% (rango 0 – 100%) de las imitaciones de semillas grandes (14 mm) fueron movidas por los escarabajos peloteros. Aproximadamente el 91% de las especies consumidas por los monos aulladores (rango del tamaño 0.3 – 34.3 mm) se traslaparon en cuanto a tamaño de la semilla con aquellas removidas por los escarabajos peloteros. Con base en nuestras estimaciones para el área de estudio, los monos aulladores consumieron más frutos con semillas grandes que la mayoría de los frugívoros, lo que resalta su potencial para afectar la regeneración del bosque. Nuestros resultados muestran que las reintroducciones pueden restaurar efectivamente las conexiones ecológicas y mejorar los procesos ecológicos.

Aim: We investigated changes in dung beetle β-diversity components along a subtropical elevational gradient, to test whether turnover or nestedness-related processes drive the dissimilarity of assemblages at spatial and temporal scales. Location: An elevational gradient (200-1,600 m a.s.l.) of the Atlantic Forest in southern Brazil. Methods: We investigated the extent to which β-diversity varied along the elevational gradient (six elevations) at both spatial (among sites at different elevations) and temporal (different months at the same site) scales. We compared both the turnover and nestedness-related dissimilarity of species and genera using multiple-site or multiple-month measures and tested whether these measurements were different from random expectations. Results: A mid-elevation peak in species richness along the elevational gradient was observed, and the lowest richness occurred at the highest elevations. We found two different groups of species, lowland and highland species, with a mixing of groups at intermediate elevations. The turnover component of β-diversity was significantly higher for both spatial (i.e. elevational) and temporal changes in species composition. However, when the data for genera by site were considered, the elevational turnover value decreased in relative importance. Nestedness-related processes are more important for temporal dissimilarity patterns at higher elevation sites. Main conclusions: Spatial and temporal turnover of dung beetle species is the most important component of β-diversity along the elevational gradient. High-elevation assemblages are not subsets of assemblages that inhabit lower elevations, but this relationship ceases when β-diversity is measured at the generic level. Environmental changes across elevations may be the cause of the differential establishment of distinctive species, but these species typically belong to the same higher taxonomic rank. Conservation strategies should consider elevational gradients in case-specific scenarios as they may contain distinct species assemblages in lowlands vs. highlands.

In yeast and animal cells, phosphatidylinositol‐3‐monophosphate 5‐kinases produce phosphatidylinositol (3,5)‐bisphosphate (PtdIns(3,5)P₂) and have been implicated in endomembrane trafficking and pH control in the vacuole. In plants, PtdIns(3,5)P₂ is synthesized by the Fab1 family, four orthologs of which exist in Arabidopsis: FAB1A and FAB1B, both from the PIKfyve/Fab1 family; FAB1C and FAB1D, both without a PIKfyve domain and of unclear role. Using a reverse genetics and cell biology approach, we investigated the function of the Arabidopsis genes encoding FAB1B and FAB1D, both highly expressed in pollen. Pollen viability, germination and tube morphology were not significantly affected in homozygous mutant plants. In vivo, mutant pollen fertilized ovules leading to normal seeds and siliques. The same result was obtained when mutant ovules were fertilized with wild‐type pollen. Double mutant pollen for the two genes was able to fertilize and develop plants no different from the wild‐type. At the cellular level, fab1b and fab1d pollen tubes were found to exhibit perturbations in membrane recycling, vacuolar acidification and decreased production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Subcellular imaging of FAB1B‐GFP revealed that the protein localized to the endomembrane compartment, whereas FAB1D‐GFP localized mostly to the cytosol and sperm cells. These results were discussed considering possible complementary roles of FAB1B and FAB1D.

The European chestnut tree (Castanea sativa Mill.) is widely cultivated throughout the world’s temperate regions. In the Mediterranean region, it has a significant economic role mainly because of the high quality of its edible nuts. The Oomycete Phytophthora cinnamomi is one of the most severe pathogens affecting European chestnuts, causing ink disease and significant losses in production. Ginkgobilobin-2 (Gnk2) in Ginkgo biloba is a secreted protein with a plant-specific cysteine-rich motif that functions as a lectin, and its carbohydrate-binding properties are closely related to its antifungal activity. The binding of lectins to mannose residues of the cell wall of Phytophthora species may disturb and disrup the cell wall structure. This work determined that the amino acid sequence has a signal peptide that directs the final protein peptide to the apoplast. The Cast_Gnk2-like expression was performed and optimized, and different in vitro antagonism tests were done against P. cinnamomi using different purified protein concentrations. As a result of one of these assays, Cast_Gnk2-like significantly reduced the mycelia growth of P. cinnamomi in liquid medium as shown by the mycelia weight (g) in control treatments was 377% higher than in the treatments. These insights reveal the potential of Cast_Gnk2-like for agricultural uses and biotechnological developments for the pathosystem chestnut/P. cinnamomi.

AIM: In this study, we investigate whether anthropogenic land use and habitat fragmentation lead to a process of either homogenization (decreasing spatial replacement and increasing nestedness) or divergence (increasing spatial replacement and decreasing nestedness) of dung beetle assemblages in edge‐affected habitats. LOCATION: A fragmented landscape of the Atlantic forest of north‐east Brazil. METHODS: We investigate the extent to which beta diversity of dung beetle assemblages varies in edge‐affected habitats at different spatial scales (i.e. traps along an interior–exterior nonlinear gradient, within and among habitats). We compare species replacement and nestedness of dung beetle assemblages using (1) multiple dissimilarity measures accounting for compositional heterogeneity across forest (i.e. forest edges, core primary forest areas and small fragments) and matrix habitats (i.e. sugar cane plantations and pastures) and (2) distance matrices accounting for the multivariate structure of dissimilarity. RESULTS: (1) Each habitat supported a distinct dung beetle assemblage; (2) there was a strong influence of anthropogenic land use and fragmentation‐related effects on dung beetle β‐diversity, with species replacements increasing in edge‐affected and matrix habitats providing support for the divergence hypothesis at all spatial scales; (3) edge effects enhanced species replacement across assemblages; (4) dung beetle assemblages were not randomly distributed, with habitat type leading to a strongly nested pattern of species composition; and (5) both dung beetle replacement and nestedness were not correlated with geographic distance, whereby neighbouring sites were not necessarily more similar in their community composition. MAIN CONCLUSIONS: Species replacement is strongly influenced by habitat configuration and β‐diversity increases in edge‐affected habitats. Accordingly, anthropogenic land use and habitat fragmentation clearly promote community‐level taxonomic divergence in human‐modified landscapes. Landscape‐scale divergence likely results from a non‐random distribution of both forest‐dependent and disturbance‐adapted species across all habitats, which are in marked contrast in terms of suitability.

We describe a new species of dung beetle, Epactoides giganteus sp. nov. , from a single female specimen allegedly collected in the 19 th century on Réunion island and recently found at the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Paris. This species differs from other species of Epactoides by larger size and a set of other distinctive morphological characters. Epactoides giganteus sp. nov. is the first native dung beetle (Scarabaeinae) of Réunion, and its discovery expands the known area of distribution of the genus Epactoides , which was hitherto believed to be endemic to Madagascar. Like other taxa from Madagascar and peripheral islands (e.g., Comoro, Seychelles, Mascarenes), E. giganteus sp. nov. may have reached Réunion by over-water dispersal. Given the rapid loss of biodiversity on Réunion island and the fact that no additional specimens were re-collected over the last two centuries, it is very likely that E. giganteus sp. nov. has gone extinct. However, we have unconfirmed evidence that the holotype of E. giganteus sp. nov. might be a mislabeled specimen from Madagascar, which would refute the presence of native dung beetles on Réunion. We discuss both hypotheses about the specimen origin and assess the systematic position of E. giganteus sp. nov. by examining most of the described species of Madagascan Epactoides . Additionally, we provide a brief overview of the dung beetle fauna of Mascarene Archipelago.

Functional traits offer critical insights into species performance, survival strategies and ecological interactions. However, the availability of comprehensive trait datasets remains limited, primarily due to the substantial effort required for field sampling and laboratory analysis. This constraint is particularly pronounced in biodiversity hotspots such as the Atlantic Forest, one of the most diverse and threatened biomes globally. The ATLANTIC DUNG BEETLE TRAITS dataset addresses part of this gap by compiling extensive morphological and ecological information for a key insect group in this biome. Dung beetles (Coleoptera, Scarabaeinae) play essential roles in nutrient cycling, secondary seed dispersal and soil aeration, but many species are increasingly threatened by habitat loss, fragmentation and other human-induced pressures. The dataset includes 47 distinct traits for 1,398 individuals representing up to 385 taxa. Many traits were measured separately by sex and/or habitat to capture intraspecific variation, resulting in 107 trait records overall. It is organised into two main components: Novel dataset – Includes 371 individuals from 72 taxa, with measurements for six continuous morphological traits (mean biomass, wing length, wing width, wing area, wing aspect ratio and wing loading) and four categorical ecological traits (body size, diet, relocation behaviour and diel activity), all recorded at the individual level. Novel dataset – Includes 371 individuals from 72 taxa, with measurements for six continuous morphological traits (mean biomass, wing length, wing width, wing area, wing aspect ratio and wing loading) and four categorical ecological traits (body size, diet, relocation behaviour and diel activity), all recorded at the individual level. Additionally, this dataset includes a set of high-resolution photographs of dung beetle wings from 355 individuals across 51 taxa. These images were used to derive key morphological measurements and are provided to support reproducibility and further research. Published datasets – Include records for 1,027 individuals representing up to 357 taxa, including 210 taxonomically uncertain species. These datasets cover both individual- and species-level functional traits, totalling 46 traits compiled from 29 published studies conducted between 2011 and 2024. Published datasets – Include records for 1,027 individuals representing up to 357 taxa, including 210 taxonomically uncertain species. These datasets cover both individual- and species-level functional traits, totalling 46 traits compiled from 29 published studies conducted between 2011 and 2024. This functional trait database offers a standardised, detailed resource to support macroecological, functional and conservation analyses, contributing to biodiversity assessment and management in the Atlantic Forest.