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pv. (Psa) is the causal agent of the bacterial canker, the most devastating disease of kiwifruit vines. Before entering the host tissues, this pathogen has an epiphytic growth phase on kiwifruit flowers and leaves, thus the ecological interactions within epiphytic bacterial community may greatly influence the onset of the infection process. The bacterial community associated to the two most important cultivated kiwifruit species, and , was described both on flowers and leaves using Illumina massive parallel sequencing of the V3 and V4 variable regions of the 16S rRNA gene. In addition, the effect of plant infection by Psa on the epiphytic bacterial community structure and biodiversity was investigated. Psa infection affected the phyllosphere microbiome structures in both species, however, its impact was more pronounced on leaves, where a drastic drop in microbial biodiversity was observed. Furthermore, we also showed that Psa was always present in syndemic association with pv. and , two other kiwifruit pathogens, suggesting the establishment of a pathogenic consortium leading to a higher pathogenesis capacity. Finally, the analyses of the dynamics of bacterial populations provided useful information for the screening and selection of potential biocontrol agents against Psa.

Background The genera Agathis (Coniferales: Araucariaceae) and Hymenaea (Fabales: Fabaceae) contain resin-producing tree species that are crucial for actuotaphonomic studies. While certain Cretaceous ambers likely originated from Agathis or Agathis -like trees, Hymenaea is the primary source of many Miocene ambers. Field studies were conducted in New Caledonia and Madagascar to collect Defaunation resin (resin produced after 1760 AD (Anno Domini)). Arthropods were collected with yellow sticky and Malaise traps in New Caledonia, Madagascar, and Mexico. Cretaceous and Miocene ambers, copals (2.58 Ma to 1760 AD), and Defaunation resins from various regions were analysed to compare arthropod trapping patterns. Results Actuotaphonomic results show lower number of arthropods trapped in Agathis Defaunation resin, with a non-uniform distribution, compared to the abundant and uniformly distributed arthropods trapped in Hymenaea Defaunation resin. The lower number of arthropod inclusions in the trunk resin of the Agathis trees is attributed to the rapid polymerisation of that resin. Under the same experimental conditions, the arthropods in Agathis Defaunation resin plot far from the arthropods collected in the yellow sticky and Malaise traps, while the arthropods in Hymenaea Defaunation resin plot close to the arthropods in the yellow sticky traps. Conclusions These findings confirm different resin trapping patterns between Agathis and Hymenaea , with significant implications for interpreting the amber record. The fauna trapped by Hymenaea resin closely resembles the arthropod biocoenosis that live in and around the trunks, indicating autochthony and close relationship with the forest ecosystem, unlike Agathis resin. These results improve our understanding of arthropod trapping biases in resin and lead us to reconsider previously proposed interpretations of Cretaceous forest biocoenoses.

The global malaria burden sometimes obscures that the genus Plasmodium comprises diverse clades with lineages that independently gave origin to the extant human parasites. Indeed, the differences between the human malaria parasites were highlighted in the classical taxonomy by dividing them into two subgenera, the subgenus Plasmodium , which included all the human parasites but Plasmodium falciparum that was placed in its separate subgenus, Laverania . Here, the evolution of Plasmodium in primates will be discussed in terms of their species diversity and some of their distinct phenotypes, putative molecular adaptations, and host–parasite biocenosis. Thus, in addition to a current phylogeny using genome-level data, some specific molecular features will be discussed as examples of how these parasites have diverged. The two subgenera of malaria parasites found in primates, Plasmodium and Laverania , reflect extant monophyletic groups that originated in Africa. However, the subgenus Plasmodium involves species in Southeast Asia that were likely the result of adaptive radiation. Such events led to the Plasmodium vivax lineage. Although the Laverania species, including P. falciparum , has been considered to share “avian characteristics,” molecular traits that were likely in the common ancestor of primate and avian parasites are sometimes kept in the Plasmodium subgenus while being lost in Laverania . Assessing how molecular traits in the primate malaria clades originated is a fundamental science problem that will likely provide new targets for interventions. However, given that the genus Plasmodium is paraphyletic (some descendant groups are in other genera), understanding the evolution of malaria parasites will benefit from studying “non- Plasmodium ” Haemosporida.

The functionality of certain ecosystems depends on, or partially depends on, the presence of water under the ground or on its emergence to the surface. These ecosystems, referred to as groundwater-dependent ecosystems (GDEs), underpin national economies by sustaining essential goods such as fish, timber, and various nontimber products, as well as providing critical services such as water storage, purification, and flood control. Within GDEs, biotopes and biocenoses actively contribute to sustaining and improving human well-being by facilitating these vital conditions and processes. In water-scarce environments, groundwater assumes a central role at the nexus of integrated human, animal, and environmental health, known as the One Health concept. Considering the groundwater requirements of GDEs, it is then indispensable to practice sustainable water management, enabling sustainable development and shared prosperity. This paper seeks to enhance the comprehension of GDEs, enabling practical applications within the arid and semiarid regions of the Western and Central Sahel. Based on an exhaustive literature review and subsequently incorporating insights from interviews with researchers in the Sahel region, it proposes a typology for Sahelian GDEs. This typology, rooted in geomorphological, hydrological, and socioeconomic contexts, comprises four primary categories: inland surface-water ecosystems, coastal and marine ecosystems, oasis and spring ecosystems, and terrestrial vegetation ecosystems. It serves as a framework for identifying an initial set of 251 GDEs in the Sahel, addressing the challenge of limited available data in this geographic area. By integrating the socioeconomic dimension of GDEs, this work underscores the pivotal role of robust conservation policies within a developmental strategy.

Climate change and heavy anthropic pressures are giving rise to important modifications in the rocky benthic communities of the Mediterranean Sea. In particular, sponge assemblages have been deeply affected due to the susceptibility of some species to dramatic phenomena such as mass mortalities or widespread variations in the abundance of other species. For this reason, long-term biodiversity monitoring of the sponge assemblages is important for understanding the direction of changes over time. We studied the sponge fauna living off Tricase Porto (Otranto Strait) and compared its composition with the results of a study conducted in the same area 50 years ago. The comparison indicated that the sponge diversity of this area has strongly increased in the last 50 years and a large number of the sponges recorded in the old survey are still present in the recent community. This evidence matches with other results obtained from different localities of the Mediterranean Sea indicating an increase of sponge diversity, possibly due to the present water warming. The description of two new Demosponge species, Diplastrella boeroi sp. nov. and Spirastrella angulata sp. nov., is also provided.

Lake levels fluctuations are conditioned by seasonal variability, water resources management and climate change. Recent studies have shown that global warming potentially affects the risk of flooding and that the decisive factor for flood events is not temperature, but precipitation characteristics and hydrological conditions. Flood events have numerous impacts on social, economic and environmental aspects depending on how humans have altered lands, natural rivers and lake dynamics. Flood protection measures can cause conflicts with conservation measures and with ecosystem services because natural capital is not considered able to control floods and to contribute control floods and that it can contribute to human health and safety. In this paper we analysed the flood events in Lake Maggiore for return time periods of 3 – 5 – 10 – 25 – 50 – 100 – 250 – 500 years, considering the flood frequency in the last ten years using 1868-2021 as a reference period. We discussed the probability distribution of flood peaks, the correlation and linear regression between the lake level fluctuations and macroinvertebrates occurrence. We also presented lake coasts flood hazard mapping. The probability distribution that better describes the annual peak level is the Gumbel function, while for spring and autumn flood events the better distribution is the Log-Pearson type III. One of the historical flood events in terms of magnitude was in 2000, characterized by a return time of about 50 years. The last flood event in 2020, was characterized by a return period of about 10 years. Considering the seasonal frequency of flood, the autumn magnitude was higher than the spring one, and the differences between seasonal flood events progressively increased. The results suggested a high probability of a flood event every three years and also a forecast of a flood of about 197 m asl (3.14 m above the average lake level) every 10 years. Raising the lake level will affect the reed bed area from 193 m asl, and it will be more effective at 194.5 m (up to a 10% reduction). During flood events, the whole reed bed area is submerged. As regard macroinvertebrates composition and abundance, the first results show significant negative relationships between all sampling stations altogether vs the abundance of Cladotanytarsus sp. (Chironominae) and nearly significant positive relationships between water levels at Magadino vs Pscectrocladius sordidellus (Orthocladiinae) abundances. These few results are perhaps due to the current limited data availability.

A new species belonging to the genus Trophoniella Hartman, 1959 (Polychaeta: Flabelligeridae) was described from the coastal area of Civitavecchia (Northern Tyrrhenian Sea). The species was collected in gravelly coarse sands from Posidonia oceanica beds at around 7 m depth. Trophoniella cucullata sp. nov. clearly differs from all other congeners species primarily by the distribution of the sediment grains on the body and by the starting point of the anchylosed neurohooks. Diagnostic morphological traits for the identification of the species are discussed. The description of Trophoniella cucullata sp. nov. in the same P. oceanica biocenosis where other species have been recently reported in the Northern Tyrrhenian Sea, testifies to the role of this marine phanerogam as a biodiversity hotspot.

The rapid coastal development in the Andaman Islands has resulted in littoral habitat degradation. Understanding the performances of marine biotic indices and the interpretation and translation of those results into coastal health assessment could become an integral tool in future monitoring and management policies. In this line of efforts, the ecological quality status of three sandy beaches, two urban and one nonurban, was evaluated by using three marine biotic indices. The faunal community belonged to moderately well-sorted fine sand biocenosis. The relatively high species richness (15.9 ± 0.80 taxa sample −1 ) and moderate abundance (563 ± 38.8 ind.m −2 ) were features of the benthic fauna. The urban beaches (Aberdeen Bay and Carbyn’s Cove) corresponded to tolerant benthic communities. Malacoceros indicus , Grandidierella megnae and Scolelepis squamata (tolerant species), and Ampelisca diadema (indifferent species) were the major constituents of urban beaches, while Scoloplos capensis , Urothoe grimaldii , and Urothoe platydactyla (sensitive species) were important at the nonurban beach (Wandoor). The high–good quality status prevailed across the spatial and temporal scales except for Carbyn’s cove beach, where good–poor status was noticed. The M-AMBI appeared to be the most robust measure in distinguishing the impact between the urban and nonurban beaches. The constrained ordinations revealed a gradient of disturbance across the beaches. The distinct patterns of sample segregation were the result of the ecological response. This attempt should be considered a comprehensive measure of quality assessment of beaches under human pressure and draw a parallel line of evidence to global studies on sandy beaches. Graphical Abstract

There is an urgent need to better understand the stressors, namely heatwaves, changes in thermohaline circulation and mucilage events, that are rapidly re-shaping bioconstructions, such as coralligenous assemblages. This calls for increased monitoring efforts in these invaluable habitats that will improve our understanding of the resistance and resilience of bioconstructions. Since 2009, 16 indexes have been designed to assess the ecological quality of Mediterranean coralligenous reefs. The main objective of this work is to propose a framework to support the development of a shared, cost-effective, and practical index to assess the status of the coralligenous biocenosis. To achieve this, studies conceiving these 16 indexes were reviewed: comparing their objectives, metrics, and applied methodologies. A standardized nomenclature of anthropogenic pressures is supplied, using, when possible, definitions from the European Habitat Directive, Marine Strategy Framework Directive and Water Framework Directive. Additionally, given the unprecedented climatic conditions, we highlight that a common index should give particular attention to the response of the coralligenous to thermal stress and mucilage. A list of priority anthropogenic pressures/environmental stressors and relative indicators and metrics are suggested. This review stresses the urgency to align the methodologies at basin scale and highlights the pros and cons of the preexisting indexes that must be considered in the design of a new, shared procedure to evaluate the status of coralligenous assemblages.

Waste engine oils are hazardous waste oils originating from the transportation sector and industrial heavy-duty machinery operations. Improper handling, disposal, and miscellaneous misuses cause significant air, soil, sediments, surface water, and groundwater pollution. Occupational exposure by prolonged and repeated contact poses direct or indirect health risks, resulting in short-term (acute) or long-term (chronic) toxicities. Soil pollution causes geotoxicity by disrupting the biocenosis and physicochemical properties of the soil, and phytotoxicity by impairing plant growth, physiology and metabolism. Surface water pollution impacts aquatic ecosystems and biodiversity. Air pollution from incineration causes the release of greenhouse gases creating global warming, noxious gases and particulate matter eliciting pulmonary disorders. The toxicity of waste engine oil is due to the total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) composition, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene (BTEX), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) congeners, organometallic compounds, and toxic chemical additives. The paper aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the ecotoxicological effects, human and animal health toxicology and exposure to waste engine oils. It highlights the properties and functions of engine oil and describes waste engine oil generation, disposal and recycling. It provides intensive evaluations and descriptions of the toxicokinetics, metabolism, routes of exposure and toxicosis in human and animal studies based on toxicological, epidemiological and experimental studies. It emphasises the preventive measures in occupational exposure and recommends risk-based remediation techniques to mitigate environmental pollution. The review will assist in understanding the potential risks of waste engine oil with significant consideration of the public health benefits and importance.