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Telomere-to-telomere (T2T) assemblies reveal new insights into the structure and function of the previously ‘invisible’ parts of the genome and allow comparative analyses of complete genomes across entire clades. We present here an open collaborative effort, termed the ‘Ruminant T2T Consortium’ (RT2T), that aims to generate complete diploid assemblies for numerous species of the Artiodactyla suborder Ruminantia to examine chromosomal evolution in the context of natural selection and domestication of species used as livestock

Aim The Hemiptera is the fifth‐largest insect order but among non‐native insect species is approximately tied with the Coleoptera as the most species‐rich insect order (Hemiptera comprise 20% more species than in world fauna). This over‐representation may result from high propagule pressure or from high species invasiveness. Here, we assess the reasons for over‐representation in this group by analysing geographical, temporal and taxonomic variation in numbers of historical invasions. Location Global. Method We assembled lists of historical Hemiptera invasions in 12 world regions, countries or islands (Australia, Chile, Europe, New Zealand, North America, South Africa, South Korea, Japan and the Galapagos, Hawaiian, Okinawa and Ogasawara Islands) and border interception data from nine countries (Australia, Canada, European Union, United Kingdom, Hawaii, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, USA mainland and South Africa). Using these data, we identified hemipteran superfamilies that are historically over‐represented among established non‐native species, and superfamilies that are over‐represented among arrivals (proxied by interceptions). We also compared temporal patterns of establishments among hemipteran suborders and among regions. Results Across all regions, patterns of over‐ and under‐representation were similar. The Aphidoidea, Coccoidea, Aleyrodoidea, Cimicoidea and Phylloxeroida were over‐represented among non‐native species. These same superfamilies were not consistently over‐represented among intercepted species indicating that propagule pressure does not completely explain the tendency of some Hemiptera to be over‐represented among invasions. Asexual reproduction is common in most over‐represented superfamilies and this trait may be key to explaining high invasion success in these superfamilies. Conclusions We conclude that both propagule pressure and species invasiveness are drivers of high invasion success in the Sternorrhyncha suborder (aphids, scales, whiteflies) and this group plays a major role in the exceptional invasion success of Hemiptera in general. The high historical rates of invasion by Sternorrhyncha species provide justification for biosecurity measure focusing on exclusion of this group.

The order Holosporales is a broad and ancient lineage of bacteria obligatorily associated with eukaryotic hosts, mostly protists. Significantly, this is similar to other evolutionary distinct bacterial lineages (e.g. Rickettsiales and Chlamydiae ). Here, we provide a detailed and comprehensive account on the current knowledge on the Holosporales . First, acknowledging the up-to-date phylogenetic reconstructions and recent nomenclatural proposals, we reevaluate their taxonomy, thus re-ranking them as a suborder, i.e. Holosporineae , within the order Rhodospirillales . Then, we examine the phylogenetic diversity of the Holosporineae , presenting the 20 described genera and many yet undescribed sub-lineages, as well as the variety of the respective environments of provenance and hosts, which belong to several different eukaryotic supergroups. Noteworthy representatives of the Holosporineae are the infectious intranuclear Holospora , the host manipulator ‘ Caedimonas ’, and the farmed shrimp pathogen ‘ Candidatus Hepatobacter’. Next, we put these bacteria in the broad context of the whole Holosporineae , by comparing with the available data on the least studied representatives, including genome sequences. Accordingly, we reason on the most probable evolutionary trajectories for host interactions, host specificity, and emergence of potential pathogens in aquaculture and possibly humans, as well as on future research directions to investigate those many open points on the Holosporineae .

Context The successful dispersal of an animal depends, partly, on landscape connectivity. Urbanization poses risks to dispersal activities by increasing hostile land cover types. Objectives We investigated how connectivity of urban ponds impacted Odonata communities (dragonflies and damselflies), an order of semi-aquatic insects that actively disperse. Methods We sampled 41 constructed stormwater ponds and 8 natural ponds in a metropolitan area. The effect of connectivity and the quantity of available adjacent habitats was tested at different scales for dragonflies (900 m) and damselflies (300 m), determined by a literature analysis, to account for differences in suborder dispersal capabilities. Results Lower levels of connectivity and fewer nearest neighbours negatively impacted abundance, species richness, and composition of dragonflies (p values < 0.01, R 2  = 0.18–0.70). Adult dragonfly abundance had a stronger positive relationship with connectivity than species richness. In particular, the abundance of adult dragonfly Leucorrhinia frigida, found almost exclusively at natural ponds, had a positive relationship with connectivity. Connectivity and the number of nearest neighbours had no significant impact on damselflies apart from a slight negative relationship between connectivity and species richness (p value = 0.02, R 2  = 0.11). Natural ponds had significantly higher levels of connectivity when compared to stormwater ponds. Conclusions Our results suggest that dragonflies are positively affected by increased connectivity in an urban landscape, with no benefit of connectivity to damselflies at the scale measured. We recommend intentional planning of urban stormwater pond networks, where individual ponds can act as stepping stones, incorporated with strategic inclusion of beneficial land cover types.

Aim Recent climate‐driven changes in the Antarctic marine environment, marked by regional differences between West and East Antarctica, may alter ecosystem dynamics. As key components of the food web, fish might reflect these changes. This study examines fish biodiversity patterns across four typical Antarctic seas by integrating eDNA analysis with bottom trawl surveys, focusing on biodiversity shifts and range alterations in response to varying levels of climate change exposure. Location Four ecologically distinct Antarctic regions: The Adjacent Waters of Antarctic Peninsula (AAP), the Amundsen Sea‐Bellingshausen Sea (ASBS), the Prydz Bay‐Cooperation Sea (PBCS), and the Cosmonaut Sea (CS). Methods During the 37th Chinese National Antarctic Research Expedition, we integrated eDNA metabarcoding (from both pelagic and benthic water layers) with bottom trawl surveys across four regions (AAP, ASBS, PBCS, and CS) to characterise regional fish community. Results Environmental DNA metabarcoding and trawl surveys detected 40 and 27 Antarctic fish species, respectively. Environmental DNA proved effective in complementing traditional methods and capturing early life stages, especially with a refined local reference database. Species belonging to the suborder Notothenioidei dominated across all surveyed regions. Ten species exhibited range extensions beyond previously documented distributions, likely reflecting historical data gaps, with the exception of Patagonotothen sp. Main Conclusions eDNA metabarcoding showed potential for monitoring Antarctic ichthyoplankton. Fish diversity in the four studied seas aligns with the general pattern in the Southern Ocean, while ASBS was identified as a previously overlooked fish diversity hotspot. The southward detection of Patagonotothen sp. may signal climate‐driven shifts in species distribution. Future research integrating eDNA with interdisciplinary approaches holds promise for advancing the monitoring of climate change impacts on Antarctic marine ecosystems.

Background The diversity and evolutionary success of beetles (Coleoptera) are proposed to be related to the diversity of plants on which they feed. Indeed, the largest beetle suborder, Polyphaga, mostly includes plant eaters among its approximately 315,000 species. In particular, plants defend themselves with a diversity of specialized toxic chemicals. These may impose selective pressures that drive genomic diversification and speciation in phytophagous beetles. However, evidence of changes in beetle gene repertoires driven by such interactions remains largely anecdotal and without explicit hypothesis testing. Results We explore the genomic consequences of beetle-plant trophic interactions by performing comparative gene family analyses across 18 species representative of the two most species-rich beetle suborders. We contrast the gene contents of species from the mostly plant-eating suborder Polyphaga with those of the mainly predatory Adephaga. We find gene repertoire evolution to be more dynamic, with significantly more adaptive lineage-specific expansions, in the more speciose Polyphaga. Testing the specific hypothesis of adaptation to plant feeding, we identify families of enzymes putatively involved in beetle-plant interactions that underwent adaptive expansions in Polyphaga. There is notable support for the selection hypothesis on large gene families for glutathione S-transferase and carboxylesterase detoxification enzymes. Conclusions Our explicit modeling of the evolution of gene repertoires across 18 species identifies putative adaptive lineage-specific gene family expansions that accompany the dietary shift towards plants in beetles. These genomic signatures support the popular hypothesis of a key role for interactions with plant chemical defenses, and for plant feeding in general, in driving beetle diversification.

Bory Tucholskie National Park, founded in 1996, is one of the most recently established national parks in Poland, and therefore, has not been thoroughly examined yet. The authors of the current study present results of their research concerning communities of mites from the suborder Uropodina (Acari: Mesostigmata), inhabiting bird nesting boxes within the area of Bory Tucholskie National Park. The mite community comprises two nidicolous species, i.e. Leiodinychus orbicularis (C.L. Koch, 1839) and Chiropturopoda nidiphila (Wiśniewski and Hirschmann 1993). The former is a species characteristic of various types of nests, as well as nesting boxes, where it is usually the eudominant species. The latter is an extremely rare and scarce species of Uropodina, known thus far from woodpeckers’ hollows. The population of L. orbicularis in the analysed communities in the realm of Bory Tucholskie National Park has been estimated to be over 6,000 specimens, and in the case of Ch. nidiphila - over 400 specimens.

Protected areas are hugely important for preserving freshwater systems, given their importance for the human well-being and aquatic diversity. Our main objective in the present study was to investigate the diversity of adult Odonata species in streams inside a national park, and in streams located outside this protected area, under different human interventions. We analyzed assemblages of Odonata from 28 streams (inside = 17 and outside = 11) in Itaituba municipality, in Pará state, Brazil. Our results indicated that only habitat integrity and Zygoptera species composition significantly differed between both categories. The lack of more significant results may indicate some degree of buffer influence of the area of the national park since the streams inside and outside its area are a very short distance. Therefore, this closeness may be enough to allow the dispersal of Anisoptera species, considered effective dispersers, and some tolerant species of Zygoptera. However, only the Zygoptera suborder presented species specialists in streams inside and outside the national park, and even though this may be explained through their physiological aspects, another explanation may be that the presence of the national park mitigates the negative influence of human activities.Implications for insect conservation We highlight the importance of full-protected areas in preserving the diversity of Odonata species, through the maintenance of habitat integrity and physical structure. However, there is a need for more studies conducted inside protected areas to address their effectiveness for the preservation of aquatic systems.

Recent phylogenomic studies have concluded that the ancestor of order Trichoptera and suborder Integripalpia probably had a larva that was \"free living,\" without a portable case or fixed retreat. Phylogenies inferred from those investigations regarding hypotheses for other probable functional traits of larvae and pupae of the Trichoptera ancestor and its immediate descendants were considered, especially with reference to the extant amphiesmenopteran sister lineage Lepidoptera. To test our hypotheses an Ancestral Character State Reconstruction by Parsimony Analysis was performed to explore functional traits for five habitat and behavioral traits. Like the larva of Micropterigidae, the basal lineage of Lepidoptera, the ancestral caddisfly larva was not only \"free living\" but also was a shredding herbivore of bryophytes. Like that larva, it may have been often submerged, perhaps as a semi-aquatic sprawler in madicolous or hygropetric habitats, but it could also have been a clinger in lotic-erosional habitats. Also, the characteristics of the pupal cocoon are not clear; it may have been closed and permeable like that of Micropterigidae, or it was closed and semipermeable like that of Hydroptilidae, or it was open in a long-dome shelter like that of the Annulipalpia ancestor.

Understanding the effects of mining activities on Amazonian streams and their impact on aquatic communities is of paramount importance in the current context of resource overexploitation in society. In this study, we assessed the significance of the environment and interspecific interactions on the organization patterns of semiaquatic insect species in a mineral extraction region in the eastern Amazon. We utilized the morpho functional characteristics of 22 species from the suborder Gerromorpha (Heteropteran), considering both the abundance and sexual dimorphism of these species. Additionally, we quantified the density of riparian vegetation surrounding each stream to categorize sampling points and evaluate whether there are differences in species distribution patterns among categories. We sampled 16 sites, categorized into two treatments based on the percentage of riparian vegetation in forested and deforested areas located in the Capim River Basin. We did not find the action of environmental filters on the total assembly; however, we found significant morphological divergence for all the traits analyzed. On the other hand, the separation of streams into treatments with different portions of riparian vegetation showed that there are significant differences between them regarding species distribution patterns. Forested streams within a 500-m radius have species distributed over a larger area, indicating that these streams have greater resource availability or that species can use these resources more efficiently. Our results demonstrate the importance of riparian vegetation for the studied communities, as well as for mitigating the impacts caused by mining activities.