It’s possible that I shall make an ass of myself. But in that case one can always get out of it with a little dialectic. I have, of course, so worded my proposition as to be right either way (K.Marx, Letter to F.Engels on the Indian Mutiny)
Thursday, March 28, 2024
Scientists discover how Diadem butterfly mimics African Queen
UNIVERSITY OF EXETER
IMAGE:
THE DIADEM (BOTTOM BUTTERFLY OF EACH PAIR) TASTES GOOD TO BIRDS AND THEREFORE MIMICS THE AFRICAN QUEEN (TOP BUTTERFLY OF EACH PAIR) WHICH IS DISTASTEFUL AS IT FEEDS ON MILKWEEDS. AS THE AFRICAN QUEEN DIFFERS IN EACH PART OF AFRICA, THE DIADEM ALSO HAS COLOUR MORPHS THAT CAN MIMIC EACH FORM OF THE QUEEN, THUS LOCALLY REINFORCING THE CORRECT LOCAL WARNING COLOURATION.
Scientists have discovered how female Diadem butterflies have evolved to look like African Queen butterflies to repel predators.
African Queens are toxic, making them poor food for predators such as birds.
Diadems are actually good prey for birds – but they have evolved colours and patterns that closely match those of African Queens, making them appear toxic.
The new study – by a team including the universities of Exeter, Edinburgh and Cambridge, and Mpala Research Centre in Kenya – found that, surprisingly, different genes control these patterns in the two species.
“Our findings present a compelling instance of convergent evolution, whereby species independently evolve similar traits.
“We also find evidence of adaptive atavism in the Diadem – when a species reverts to a state found in its ancestors.
“In this case, Diadem butterflies have re-evolved an ancestral wing pattern and repurposed it to mimic the Africa Queen, providing a major advance in our understanding of how tasty species mimic those that are toxic.”
Different patterns are found on African Queen butterflies in north, east, south and west Africa – and the patterns on female Diadem butterflies in each area match these.
In contrast, male Diadems have distinctive dark wings with large white patches – possibly because the need to be recognised by the female outweighs the need to hide.
“This is amazing, as the males and females look like totally different butterflies, even though they share the same genome,” said Dr Dino Martins, who was the director of Mpala at the time all the butterflies were collected.
The study used “haplotagging”, a linked-read sequencing technology, and a new analytical tool called Wrath to study the genomes of multiple butterflies from the two different species.
“These new techniques can give us unique insights into the molecular population genetics of this fascinating example of Batesian mimicry,” said Dr Simon Martin, from the University of Edinburgh, one of the coauthors on the study.
Among the different funders was a Discovery Grant from the National Geographic Society, showing how blue skies research into butterflies can fundamentally change our understanding of evolution.
Transposable Element Insertions Are Associated with Batesian Mimicry in the Pantropical Butterfly Hypolimnas misippus
Occurrence of antibiotic resistance genes in the western Qinghai Lake basin
KEAI COMMUNICATIONS CO., LTD.
IMAGE:
NITRATE INCREASED THE DIVERSITY AND ABUNDANCES OF MICROBIAL COMMUNITY IN WATER ECOSYSTEM OF THE WESTERN QINGHAI LAKE BASIN, BUT HAS NO EFFECT ON THE DISTRIBUTION OF ARGS. IN CONTRAST TO MICROBIOLOGY, INTI1 PROMOTED THE SPREAD OF ARGS IN THAT WATER ECOSYSTEM.
Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) have been widely detected in water, sediment, gut and even the phycosphere of algae. In strong anthropogenic activity areas, antibiotic resistance caused by ARGs can pose a significant threat to human health. Despite the numerous published studies on the occurrence and distribution of ARGs in these areas, there is a dearth of literature on the presence and dispersal of ARGs in remote and pristine environments with limited antibiotic usage.
Qinghai Lake, located in the northeastern part of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, is the largest saltwater lake in mainland China. Notably, it is an important water body for maintaining ecological security. The typical geographical and humanistic features of the Qinghai Lake basin, especially in the northern region, are high altitude (more than 3,000 m), oxygen-deficient environment, low temperature, and sparse human population. Due to governmental protection and national nature reserve policies, the Qinghai Lake basin is less affected by anthropogenic activity. Nevertheless, it must be acknowledged that the Qinghai Lake basin is a closed watershed with no river outflow. As such, the lake can easily become a sink of ARGs from the watershed and surrounding rivers. In light of this unique geographical background, no prior investigations have explored the occurrence and transmission of ARGs under varied nutrient conditions within the Qinghai Lake basin.
To that end, a team of researchers in China investigated the microbial community and ARGs in two typical rivers of the western Qinghai Lake basin.
“We found that the microbial community was unique in the western Qinghai Lake basin,” shares Chenxi Wu, corresponding author of the study.“Specifically, cold-resistant Planomicrobium sp. was the predominant genus due to the low temperature.”
Furthermore, the team noted that although ARGs in the western Qinghai Lake basin were significantly lower than that in strong anthropogenic activity areas, a strong correlation between ARGs and intI1 indicated the potential rapid proliferation and spread of ARGs through cross- or co-selection if antibiotic pollution occurs in that area.
The team's findings, published in the KeAi journal Water Biology and Security, emphasized the adaptation of bacteria to the environment and the facilitation of anthropogenic activity in the propagation of ARGs in natural environments.
###
Contact the author: Jia Jia & Chenxi Wu, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430072, China, jia263319@ihb.ac.cn;chenxi.wu@ihb.ac.cn
The publisher KeAi was established by Elsevier and China Science Publishing & Media Ltd to unfold quality research globally. In 2013, our focus shifted to open access publishing. We now proudly publish more than 100 world-class, open access, English language journals, spanning all scientific disciplines. Many of these are titles we publish in partnership with prestigious societies and academic institutions, such as the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC).
Characteristics of microbial communities and antibiotic resistance genes in typical rivers of the western Qinghai Lake basin
COI STATEMENT
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper. Chenxi Wu is an editorial board member for Water Biology and Security and was not involved in the editorial review or the decision to publish this article.
Case Western Reserve University researchers report rise in global fungal drug-resistant infections
Researchers issue call to action to address and prevent growing problem
CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY
CLEVELAND—A global wave of infections caused by fungi growing drug-resistant has the medical community issuing precautions on how to protect yourself.
Skin contact with microorganisms found in soil or on hard surfaces, such as common shower facilities, or exposure to infected pets, can result in fungal infections known as dermatomycoses. Rashes, itching, burning and skin irritation are among the symptoms.
Epidemiological data published inMicrobial Cell indicates that a rise in severe fungal infections has resulted in over 150 million cases annually and almost 1.7 million fatalities globally.
“This is not just an issue that affects individual patients,” McCormick said. “The World Health Organization has recognized it as a widespread threat that has the potential to impact entire healthcare systems if left unchecked.”
Based on their findings, the researchers issued precautions and a “call to action” for the medical community to help protect people from multidrug-resistant fungi—starting with awareness and education.
“Healthcare providers must prioritize the use of diagnostic tests when faced with an unknown fungal infection,” Ghannoum said. “Early detection can make all the difference in improving patient outcomes.”
Patients treated with medications to protect the immune system after cancer and transplant procedures are more vulnerable to fungal infections—making them especially more vulnerable to infections from drug-resistant fungi, the researchers said.
The emergence of multidrug-resistant fungal species, such as Candida auris and Trichophyton indotineae, is especially troubling and requires urgent attention, they reported.
To address the growing health concern, McCormick and Ghannoum suggest several measures:
Increased awareness and education: Raising awareness in the general healthcare setting to obtain a more accurate understanding of the rise of antifungal-resistant infections.
Diagnostic Testing: Routine use of diagnostic tests can guide appropriate treatment strategies.
Antifungal Susceptibility Testing (AST): Improving insurance reimbursement rates for AST and increasing the number of qualified laboratories with the capacity to perform these tests.
Call to Action: Addressing the emerging challenge of antifungal resistance involves concerted efforts from healthcare professionals, researchers, policymakers and the pharmaceutical industry to develop and implement strategies for managing and preventing antifungal resistance.
“The ultimate goal of these measures,” Ghannoum said, “is to improve the quality of patient care by ensuring effective treatment and preventing further escalation of the problem.”
###
About Case Western Reserve University
Case Western Reserve University is one of the country's leading private research institutions. Located in Cleveland, we offer a unique combination of forward-thinking educational opportunities in an inspiring cultural setting. Our leading-edge faculty engage in teaching and research in a collaborative, hands-on environment. Our nationally recognized programs include arts and sciences, dental medicine, engineering, law, management, medicine, nursing, and social work. About 6,200 undergraduate and 6,100 graduate students comprise our student body. Visit case.edu to see how Case Western Reserve thinks beyond the possible.
About University Hospitals / Cleveland, Ohio Founded in 1866, University Hospitals serves the needs of patients through an integrated network of 21 hospitals (including five joint ventures), more than 50 health centers and outpatient facilities, and over 200 physician offices in 16 counties throughout northern Ohio. The system’s flagship quaternary care, academic medical center, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, is affiliated with Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Northeast Ohio Medical University, Oxford University, the Technion Israel Institute of Technology and National Taiwan University College of Medicine. The main campus also includes the UH Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital, ranked among the top children’s hospitals in the nation; UH MacDonald Women's Hospital, Ohio's only hospital for women; and UH Seidman Cancer Center, part of the NCI-designated Case Comprehensive Cancer Center. UH is home to some of the most prestigious clinical and research programs in the nation, with more than 3,000 active clinical trials and research studies underway. UH Cleveland Medical Center is perennially among the highest performers in national ranking surveys, including “America’s Best Hospitals” from U.S. News & World Report. UH is also home to 19 Clinical Care Delivery and Research Institutes. UH is one of the largest employers in Northeast Ohio with more than 30,000 employees. Follow UH on LinkedIn, FacebookandTwitter.For more information, visitUHhospitals.org.
Researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel have identified a yeast that could be used to prevent invasive candidiasis, a major cause of death in hospitalized and immunocompromised patients. The study, to be published March 18 in the Journal of Experimental Medicine (JEM), shows that the novel yeast lives harmlessly in the intestines of mice and humans and can displace the yeast responsible for candidiasis, Candida albicans.
Millions of microbial species live within or on the human body, many of them being harmless or even beneficial to human health. The microscopic yeast C. albicans is commonly found in the intestines and other mucosal surfaces of the body and is usually benign, though occasionally it may overgrow and cause superficial infections commonly known as thrush. Under certain circumstances, however, the yeast may penetrate the intestinal barrier and systemically infect the blood or internal organs. This dangerous condition, known as invasive candidiasis, is commonly seen in healthcare environments, particularly in immunocompromised patients, with mortality rates of up to 25%.
While studying yeast infections in laboratory mice, Steffen Jung and colleagues at the Weizmann Institute discovered that some of their mice carried a novel species of yeast that prevented the animals from being infected with C. albicans. The new species, which the researchers named Kazachstania weizmannii, is closely related to yeast associated with sourdough production and appears to live innocuously in the intestines of mice, even when the animals are immunosuppressed.
The researchers found that K. weizmannii can outcompete C. albicans for its place within the gut, reducing the population of C. albicans in mouse intestines. Moreover, while C. albicans can cross the intestinal barrier and spread to other organs in immunosuppressed mice, the presence of K. weizmannii in the animals’ drinking water significantly delayed the onset of invasive candidiasis.
Notably, Jung and colleagues also identified K. weizmannii and other, similar species in human gut samples. Their preliminary data suggest that the presence of K. weizmannii was mutually exclusive with the presence of Candida species, suggesting that the two species might also compete with each other in human intestines.
“By virtue of its ability to successfully compete with C. albicans in the murine gut, K. weizmannii lowered the C. albicans burden and mitigated candidiasis development in immunosuppressed animals,” Jung says. “This competition between Kazachstania and Candida species could have potential therapeutic value for the management of C. albicans–mediated diseases.”
Journal of Experimental Medicine (JEM) publishes peer-reviewed research on immunology, cancer biology, stem cell biology, microbial pathogenesis, vascular biology, and neurobiology. All editorial decisions on research manuscripts are made through collaborative consultation between professional scientific editors and the academic editorial board. Established in 1896, JEM is published by Rockefeller University Press, a department of The Rockefeller University in New York. For more information, visit jem.org.
Visit our Newsroom, and sign up for a weekly preview of articles to be published. Embargoed media alerts are for journalists only.
Understanding the structure of crop canopies is essential for optimizing crop production as it significantly influences resource utilization efficiency, yield and stress resistance. While research has integrated canopy studies into various agricultural practices, the construction of accurate 3D models remains challenging due to complex spatial distributions and technological limitations. Current methods struggle to capture detailed morphological data due to issues such as resolution and cost. To address these issues, there is an emerging interest in applying Computational Intelligence (CI) techniques. These techniques have shown promise in various agricultural applications but haven’t yet been explored for constructing 3D models of maize canopies.
The study presents a computational intelligence-based 3D modeling method for maize canopies, focusing on visualizing and validating the structure of maize canopies across different planting densities and varieties. Using this method, 3D models for the JNK728 and JK968 maize varieties were constructed at densities of 3, 6, and 9×10^4 plants per hectare. The mothed demonstrated the method's ability to capture the effects of planting density on canopy structure, including increased shading and adjustments in leaf azimuth angles to optimize light capture. The models were validated and showed significant improvements in simulating the distribution of leaf azimuth angles, The R2 values indicated a high degree of consistency with measured data, especially after optimization through a reflective approach.
The study also validated the models' accuracy in representing canopy coverage, showing a correlation with actual canopy conditions and highlighting the models' limitations in capturing elements like fallen leaves and weeds. The distribution of leaf azimuth angles close to 90° increases with planting density, suggesting an adaptive response of maize leaves to environmental stress by aligning more perpendicular to the row direction. This trend was further validated through the construction of 3D models across a gradient of planting densities.
The computational process, though time-intensive, highlights the efficiency and potential of computational intelligence in 3D canopy modeling. The iterative optimization of sunlit leaf area ratios and the intelligent adjustment of 3D phytomers' azimuth angles reflect the application of swarm intelligence principles to crop canopy modeling. The study highlights the significance of precise crop canopy modeling to comprehend plant competition for light resources. It suggests further enhancements and future work to improve the models' accuracy and practicality by considering a broader range of environmental factors and incorporating more detailed phenotypic and growth information.
† These authors contributed equally to the article.
Affiliations
1National Engineering Research Center for Agro-Ecological Big Data Analysis & Application, Anhui University, Hefei 230601, China.
2Information Technology Research Center, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Beijing 100097, China.
3Beijing Key Lab of Digital Plant, National Engineering Research Center for Information Technology in Agriculture, Beijing 100097, China.
4Nongxin Science & Technology (Beijing) Co., Ltd, Beijing 100097, China
About Linsheng Huang
He is currently a Professor and the Deputy Director of the National Engineering Research Center for Agro-Ecological Big Data Analysis and Application, Anhui University. His research interests include quantitative remote sensing applications in crop diseases and insect pests.
Tiny organisms such as bacteria and fungi help to promote the health and function of plant roots. It is commonly assumed that the composition of these microbes is dependent on the properties of the soil. However, an international team of researchers led by the University of Bonn has now discovered when studying different local varieties of maize that the genetic makeup of the plants also helps to influence which microorganisms cluster around the roots. The results, which have now been published in the prestigious journal Nature Plants, could help to breed future varieties of maize that are better suited to drought and limited nutrients.
In order to grow properly, plants take in water and nutrients through their roots. But they have the assistance of some tiny helpers: A layer of bacteria and fungi, just a few millimeters thick, can be found directly around the roots. “These microorganisms are essential for the health and fitness of the plants,” says Dr. Peng Yu, head of the junior research group “Root Functional Biology” at the Institute of Crop Science and Resource Conservation (INRES) at the University of Bonn. The microbes help with the absorption of water and nutrients and protect the plants against harmful organisms – similar to how the “microbiome” in the intestines of humans helps to determine whether we become ill or stay healthy.
The traditional view is that the composition of the microbiome – the totality of all microorganisms – is mainly determined by the properties of the soil. This includes things such as the type of soil and whether it is more acidic or alkaline. However, an international team of researchers led by the University of Bonn has now demonstrated in maize plants that the genetic makeup of the host plants has a significant influence on the composition of the root microbes.
“Our study also showed that the microbiome around the roots has a crucial influence on how resilient the maize plants are when faced with stressful conditions such as a nutrient deficits or lack of water,” says Prof. Dr. Frank Hochholdinger from the Crop Functional Genomics department in INRES at the University of Bonn. In view of global climate change and the limited supply of the nutrient phosphorous, resilience of these plants to drought and a lack of nutrients could play an even greater role in the future.
Adapting regional varieties of maize to environmental conditions
The various varieties of maize have very different genetic composition. Regional varieties have adapted themselves to very different environmental conditions depending on whether they are cultivated, for example, in cooler highland or the warmer lowland areas of South America. “The fact that farmers have continued to select those varieties of maize suited to the local climate over many centuries has led to very different genotypes that we were able to utilize for our study,” says Dr. Yu, who is head of an Emmy Noether junior research group funded by the German Research Foundation and also a member of the PhenoRob Cluster of Excellence and the transdisciplinary research area “Sustainable Futures” at the University of Bonn.
In cooperation with scientists from Southwest University in Chongqing (China), the researchers studied a total of 129 different varieties of maize. Some of these were cultivated under “normal” conditions while others experienced deficiencies in phosphorus, nitrogen, or water. Additionally, the team sequenced the DNA of the microbes from 3168 samples taken from the layer found directly around the roots that is just a few millimeters thick.
The role played by the genetic makeup of the roots became apparent in those plants grown under stressful conditions. Interestingly, the lack of nutrients and water had a significant influence on the composition of the microbes. Furthermore, the team discovered important characteristic differences in the microbiome between different varieties of maize under the same stressful conditions. “We were able to prove that certain maize genes are able to interact with certain bacteria,” says Dr. Yu to explain on the most important results. Using data on the growth conditions at the place of origin of a certain variety of maize and on its genetic composition, the researchers were even able to predict which key organisms would be found in the microbiome around the roots.
The bacterium Massilia promotes the growth of lateral roots
The results for bacteria of the genus Massilia especially stood out: “It was very noticeable that very few specimens of this microbe were found when there was a sufficient supply of nitrogen,” says Prof. Dr. Gabriel Schaaf from the Ecophysiology of Plant Nutrition department at INRES and member of the PhenoRob Cluster of Excellence. If there was a lack of nitrogen, however, lots of Massilia could be found clustering around the roots. The team then inoculated maize roots with this bacterium. The plants grew a lot more lateral roots as a result and were therefore able to significantly improve their uptake of nutrients and water.
But how do maize plants manage to harness the tiny Massilia bacterium for this type of root growth? Following further studies, the researchers discovered that the roots actually attracted the Massilia bacteria using flavones. This substance is one of many secondary metabolites in the plant and stimulates the growth of lateral roots with the aid of the bacteria. “However, this was dependent on whether the maize plant had a microtubule-binding gene,” says Dr. Peng Yu. If this gene was missing, the plant did not produce more lateral roots.
The varieties of maize with the missing gene come from a huge database of maize mutations that has been set up by the researchers headed by Dr. Caroline Marcon at INRES. This database helps researchers explain the functions of maize genes.
Maize varieties better adapted to drought and a lack of nutrients
The international team of researchers hopes that they will also be able to predict yield in the medium term. “We are carrying out basic research,” says Hochholdinger. “However, these results could act as the basis for cultivation of maize varieties better suited to drought and a lack of phosphorous by using genome and microbiome data.”
Participating institutes and funding:
Alongside various departments in the Institute of Crop Science and Resource Conservation (INRES) at the University of Bonn, the following institutions also participated in the research: Southwest University Chongqing (China), Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research, Pennsylvania State University (USA), Institute of Natural Resources and Agrobiology of Seville (Spain), University of Hohenheim, University of Nebraska-Lincoln (USA), Julius Kühn Institute in Braunschweig, Ghent University (Belgium), Center for Plant Systems Biology in Ghent, University of Amsterdam (Netherlands) and the Department of Food Microbiology at the University of Bonn. The study was funded by, amongst others, the German Research Foundation (DFG), including funds from the PhenoRob Cluster of Excellence.
Dr. Peng Yu Institute of Crop Science and Resource Conservation (INRES) Crop Functional Genomics University of Bonn Tel. +49 228 73-60532 E-mail: yupeng@uni-bonn.de
Prof. Dr. Frank Hochholdinger INRES – Crop Functional Genomics University of Bonn Tel. +49 228 73-60334 or -60331 E-mail: hochhold@uni-bonn.de
