Search

We present a genome assembly from an individual male Eupithecia dodoneata (the Oak-tree Pug; Arthropoda; Insecta; Lepidoptera; Geometridae). The genome sequence is 353.7 megabases in span. Most of the assembly is scaffolded into 31 chromosomal pseudomolecules, including the assembled Z sex chromosome. The mitochondrial genome has also been assembled and is 15.3 kilobases in length.

Xylella fastidiosa is a xylem-limited plant pathogen infecting many crops globally and is the cause of the recent olive disease epidemic in Italy. One strategy proposed to mitigate losses is to replant susceptible crops with resistant varieties. Several genetic, biochemical and biophysical traits are associated to X. fastidiosa disease resistance. However, mechanisms underpinning resistance are poorly understood. We hypothesize that the susceptibility of olive cultivars to infection will correlate to xylem vessel diameters, with narrower vessels being resistant to air embolisms and having slower flow rates limiting pathogen spread. To test this, we scanned stems from four olive cultivars of varying susceptibility to X. fastidiosa using X-ray computed tomography. Scans were processed by a bespoke methodology that segmented vessels, facilitating diameter measurements. Though significant differences were not found comparing stem-average vessel section diameters among cultivars, they were found when comparing diameter distributions. Moreover, the measurements indicated that although vessel diameter distributions may play a role regarding the resistance of Leccino, it is unlikely they do for FS17. Considering Young–Laplace and Hagen–Poiseuille equations, we inferred differences in embolism susceptibility and hydraulic conductivity of the vasculature. Our results suggest susceptible cultivars, having a greater proportion of larger vessels, are more vulnerable to air embolisms. In addition, results suggest that under certain pressure conditions, functional vasculature in susceptible cultivars could be subject to greater stresses than in resistant cultivars. These results support investigation into xylem morphological screening to help inform olive replanting. Furthermore, our framework could test the relevance of xylem geometry to disease resistance in other crops.

We present a genome assembly from an individual male Carcina quercana (the long-horned flat-body; Arthropoda; Insecta; Lepidoptera; Depressariidae). The genome sequence is 409 megabases in span. Most of the assembly (99.96%) is scaffolded into 30 chromosomal pseudomolecules, including the assembled Z sex chromosome. The complete mitochondrial genome was also assembled and is 15.3 kilobases in length. Gene annotation of this assembly on Ensembl identified 18,108 protein coding genes.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a threat to global public health. However, unsatisfactory approaches to directly measuring the AMR burden carried by individuals has hampered efforts to assess interventions aimed at reducing selection for AMR. Metagenomics can provide accurate detection and quantification of AMR genes within an individual person’s faecal flora (their gut “resistome”). Using this approach, we aimed to test the hypothesis that differences in antimicrobial use across different hospitals in the United Kingdom will result in observable differences in the resistome of individual patients. Three National Health Service acute Hospital Trusts with markedly different antibiotic use and Clostridioides difficile infection rates collected faecal samples from anonymous patients which were discarded after C. difficile testing over a period of 9 to 15 months. Metagenomic DNA was extracted from these samples and sequenced using an Illumina NovaSeq 6000 platform. The resulting sequencing reads were analysed for taxonomic composition and for the presence of AMR genes. Among 683 faecal metagenomes we found huge variation between individuals in terms of taxonomic diversity (Shannon Index range 0.10–3.99) and carriage of AMR genes (Median 1.50 genes/cell/sample overall). We found no statistically significant differences in diversity (median Shannon index 2.16 (IQR 1.71–2.56), 2.15 (IQR 1.62–2.50) and 2.26 (IQR 1.55–2.51)) or carriage of AMR genes (median 1.37 genes/cell/sample (IQR 0.70–3.24), 1.70 (IQR 0.70–4.52) and 1.43 (IQR 0.55–3.71)) at the three trusts respectively. This was also the case across the sample collection period within the trusts. While we have not demonstrated differences over place or time using metagenomic sequencing of faecal discards, other sampling frameworks may be more suitable to determine whether organisational level differences in antibiotic use are associated with individual-level differences in burden of AMR carriage.

Air travel mediates transboundary movement of SARS-CoV-2. To prepare for future pandemics, we sought to understand air passenger behaviour and perceived risk during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study of UK adults (n = 2103) quantified knowledge of COVID-19 symptoms, perceived health risk of contracting COVID-19, likelihood of returning to the UK with COVID-19 symptoms, likelihood to obey self-quarantining guidelines, how safe air travellers felt when flying during the pandemic (n = 305), and perceptions towards face covering effectiveness.Overall knowledge of COVID-19 symptoms was poor. Men and younger age groups (18–44) were less informed than women and older age groups (44 +). A significant proportion (21%) of the population would likely travel back to the UK whilst displaying COVID-19 symptoms with many expressing that they would not fully comply with self-isolation guidelines. Overall, males and younger age groups had a reduced perceived personal risk from contracting COVID-19, posing a higher risk of transporting SARS-CoV-2 back to the UK. Poor passenger knowledge and behaviour undermines government guidelines and policies aimed at preventing SARS-CoV-2 entry into the UK. This supports the need for stricter, clearer and more targeted guidelines with point-of-departure viral testing and stricter quarantining upon arrival.

Multiple fungal species, including potential opportunistic pathogens have been previously identified in water systems. Here, we investigated over 250 restroom sink fungal communities across a university campus and evaluated their diversity and core taxa present. Remarkable similarity in mycobial community composition was observed across buildings with Ascomycota consistently dominating. We found a core mycobiome independent of the building sampled, that included Exophiala species, potential opportunistic pathogenic black yeasts. Other prevalent and dominant taxa included Saccharomyces and Fusarium, common built environment fungi. The frequent presence of Malassezia, a common skin commensal, showed the external influence of human activities as a source of fungi to sinks. The study represents a novel exploration of sink P-traps mycobial communities from a public area and highlights their importance as reservoirs of possible pathogenic fungi, as well as emphasizing the relevance of further research in this understudied ecosystem within the built environment.

Increasing interest in the use of microbial metrics to evaluate soil health raises the issue of how fine-scale heterogeneity can affect microbial community measurements. Here we analyse bacterial and fungal communities of over 100 soil samples across 17 pasture farms and evaluate beta diversity at different scales. We find large variation in microbial communities between different points in the same field, and if Aitchison distance is used we find that within-field variation is as high as between-farm variation. However, if Bray-Curtis or Jaccard distance are used this variation is partially explained by differences in soil pH and vegetation and is higher under mob grazing for fungi. Hence, field scale variation in microbial communities can impact the evaluation of soil health.

Tick saliva is a complex mixture of peptidic and non-peptidic molecules that aid engorgement. The composition of tick saliva changes as feeding progresses and the tick counters the dynamic host response. Ixodid ticks such as Ixodes ricinus, the most important tick species in Europe, transmit numerous pathogens that cause debilitating diseases, e.g. Lyme borreliosis and tick-borne encephalitis. Tick-borne pathogens are transmitted in tick saliva during blood feeding; however, saliva is not simply a medium enabling pathogen transfer. Instead, tick-borne pathogens exploit saliva-induced modulation of host responses to promote their transmission and infection, so-called saliva-assisted transmission (SAT). Characterization of the saliva factors that facilitate SAT is an active area of current research. Besides providing new insights into how tick-borne pathogens survive in nature, the research is opening new avenues for vaccine development.

We present a genome assembly from an individual male Deilephila porcellus (the small elephant hawk moth; Arthropoda; Insecta; Lepidoptera; Sphingidae). The genome sequence is 402 megabases in span. The majority of the assembly (99.99%) is scaffolded into 29 chromosomal pseudomolecules, with the Z sex chromosome assembled.

Lumbricus friendi is a lumbricid earthworm mainly found in western Europe, considerably less well studied than its close relative L. terrestris and until now, has not been a subject of taxonomical debate. However, its disjointed geographical distribution suggesting striking similarities to the Celtic fringes and of the so-called “Lusitanian” species merits further investigation. Our aim was to examine the genetic variation of this species and other related taxa within the genus (L. terrestris, L. rubellus, L. rubellus friendoides and L. friendi bouchei) to test for the existence of cryptic lineages that might explain its current distribution. Using mitochondrial (16S and COI) and nuclear (Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism, AFLP) markers, we provide the first genetic basis not only to support the recent claim that L. friendi bouchei should be elevated to species rank (L. bouchei Zicsi and Csuzdi 1999), but also to conclude that L. rubellus friendoides is a valid species too, deserving a new name (L. heracleus stat. nov.). In addition, the AFLP results indicated the existence of a high cryptic diversity within L. friendi populations, which lacked geographic structure, resulting in the French samples being genetically closer to those from Ireland and Wales than to the Spanish ones. Our findings further highlight the likelihood that L. friendi and L. bouchei might have been overlooked or confounded with L. terrestris/L. herculeus and question the reliability of L. friendi records reported in the literature and those deposited in museums and sequence libraries (we provide evidence that this seem to be the case with two examples). We therefore advocate for a better link between morphological diagnostic characters and molecular sequences and the taxonomical validation of museums’ collections and sequence repositories.

Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) has become a complimentary surveillance tool during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Viral concentration methods from wastewater are still being optimised and compared, whilst viral recovery under different wastewater characteristics and storage temperatures remains poorly understood. Using urban wastewater samples, we tested three viral concentration methods; polyethylene glycol precipitation (PEG), ammonium sulphate precipitation (AS), and CP select™ InnovaPrep® (IP) ultrafiltration. We found no major difference in SARS-CoV-2 and faecal indicator virus (crAssphage) recovery from wastewater samples (n = 46) using these methods, PEG slightly (albeit non-significantly), outperformed AS and IP for SARS-CoV-2 detection, as a higher genome copies per litre (gc/l) was recorded for a larger proportion of samples. Next generation sequencing of 8 paired samples revealed non-significant differences in the quality of data between AS and IP, though IP data quality was slightly better and less variable. A controlled experiment assessed the impact of wastewater suspended solids (turbidity; 0–400 NTU), surfactant load (0–200 mg/l), and storage temperature (5–20 °C) on viral recovery using the AS and IP methods. SARS-CoV-2 recoveries were >20% with AS and <10% with IP in turbid samples, whilst viral recoveries for samples with additional surfactant were between 0–18% for AS and 0–5% for IP. Turbidity and sample storage temperature combined had no significant effect on SARS-CoV-2 recovery (p > 0.05), whilst surfactant and storage temperature combined were significant negative correlates (p < 0.001 and p < 0.05, respectively). In conclusion, our results show that choice of methodology had small effect on viral recovery of SARS-CoV-2 and crAssphage in wastewater samples within this study. In contrast, sample turbidity, storage temperature, and surfactant load did affect viral recovery, highlighting the need for careful consideration of the viral concentrat

This report is the result of research commissioned by the Environment Agency’s Chief Scientist’s Group.

Similarity assessment is one of the means of optimally using scarcely available experimental data on the fate and hazards of nanoforms (NFs) for regulatory purposes. For a set of NFs that are shown to be similar it is allowed in a regulatory context to apply the information available on any of the NFs within the group to the whole set of NFs. Obviously, a proper justification for such a similarity assessment is to be provided. Within the context of exemplifying such a justification, a case study was performed aimed at assessing the similarity of a set of spherical metallic NFs that different with regard to chemical composition (three metals) and particle size (three different sizes). The endpoints of assessment were root elongation and biomass increase of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) seedlings and exposure assessment was performed in order to express the actual exposure concentration in terms of time-weighted average particle concentrations. The results of the study show that for the specific endpoints assessed, chemical composition is driving NF toxicity and this is mostly due to impacts on the fate of the NFs. On the other hand, particle size of Cu NFs had a negligible impact on the dose-response relationships for the specific endpoints assessed. It is thus concluded that hazard data available on spherical Cu NF tested in our case can be used to inform on the hazards of any spherical Cu NF within the size range of 25–100 nm, but only applies for the certain endpoints. Also, toxicity data for the Cu2+-ion are suited for such a similarity assessment.

Letter. Between August and November 2021, there were unprecedented autumn deaths of seabirds, predominantly auks such as guillemots (Uria aalge) and razorbills (Alca torda), in eastern Scotland and England.

For manufactured nanomaterials (MNs), given the breadth of forms produced, it is not ethical or practical to test all materials using vertebrates. This study aimed to show how alternative methods could predict the in vivo bioaccumulation potential of MNs in fish. This included exploring the physico-chemical properties of MNs as predictors of bioaccumulation, using the ex vivo gut sac technique to measure total metal uptake, and an in chemico digestibility assay to simulate the bioaccessible metal in the gut lumen of fish. An apparent plateau in net metal accumulation by rainbow trout was evident from data on dietary exposures to CuO nanoparticles (NPs), Ag NPs or Ag2S NPs in vivo. From the metal concentrations in the tissues compared to the diet, it was possible to derive nano biomagnification factors (nBMFs). The nBMF for the liver showed the best correlations with the physico-chemical parameters, with a significant correlation to the particle dissolution rate (Spearman's correlation, p < 0.01). Moreover, there was a significant relationship between the total metal released in the stomach compartment of the digestibility assay and the total metal concentration in the liver of trout in vivo (Pearson's correlation coefficient, p = 0.02), suggesting the in chemico digestibility assay can predict bioaccumulation potential. The ex vivo gut sac technique also gave good correlations to in vivo results, with r2 values between 0.8–0.9. In conclusion, the meta-analyses supports the development of an integrated and tiered approach to bioaccumulation testing that considers the 3Rs (replacement, reduction, refinement) and minimises the use of the fish bioaccumulation test (OECD TG 305), for nanomaterials.

There is increased global and national attention on the need for effective strategies to control zoonotic diseases. Quick, effective action is, however, hampered by poor evidence-bases and limited coordination between stakeholders from relevant sectors such as public and animal health, wildlife and forestry sectors at different scales, who may not usually work together. The OneHealth approach recognises the value of cross-sectoral evaluation of human, animal and environmental health questions in an integrated, holistic and transdisciplinary manner to reduce disease impacts and/or mitigate risks. Co-production of knowledge is also widely advocated to improve the quality and acceptability of decision-making across sectors and may be particularly important when it comes to zoonoses. This paper brings together OneHealth and knowledge co-production and reflects on lessons learned for future OneHealth co-production processes by describing a process implemented to understand spill-over and identify disease control and mitigation strategies for a zoonotic disease in Southern India (Kyasanur Forest Disease). The co-production process aimed to develop a joint decision-support tool with stakeholders, and we complemented our approach with a simple retrospective theory of change on researcher expectations of the system-level outcomes of the co-production process. Our results highlight that while co-production in OneHealth is a difficult and resource intensive process, requiring regular iterative adjustments and flexibility, the beneficial outcomes justify its adoption. A key future aim should be to improve and evaluate the degree of inter-sectoral collaboration required to achieve the aims of OneHealth. We conclude by providing guidelines based on our experience to help funders and decision-makers support future co-production processes.

Objectives: We systematically reviewed studies using wastewater for AMR surveillance in human populations, to determine: (i) evidence of concordance between wastewater-human AMR prevalence estimates, and (ii) methodological approaches which optimised identifying such an association, and which could be recommended as standard. We used Lin’s concordance correlation coefficient (CCC) to quantify concordance between AMR prevalence estimates in wastewater and human compartments (where CCC = 1 reflects perfect concordance), and logistic regression to identify study features (e.g. sampling methods) associated with high agreement studies (defined as >70% of within-study wastewater-human AMR prevalence comparisons within ±10%). Results: Of 8,867 records and 441 full-text methods reviewed, 33 studies were included. AMR prevalence data was extractable from 24 studies conducting phenotypic-only (n = 7), genotypic-only (n = 1) or combined (n = 16) AMR detection. Overall concordance of wastewater-human AMR prevalence estimates was reasonably high for both phenotypic (CCC = 0.85 [95% CI 0.8–0.89]) and genotypic approaches (CCC = 0.88 (95% CI 0.84–0.9)) despite diverse study designs, bacterial species investigated and phenotypic/genotypic targets. No significant relationships between methodological approaches and high agreement studies were identified using logistic regression; however, this was limited by inconsistent reporting of study features, significant heterogeneity in approaches and limited sample size. Based on a secondary, descriptive synthesis, studies conducting composite sampling of wastewater influent, longitudinal sampling >12 months, and time-/location-matched sampling of wastewater and human compartments generally had higher agreement. Conclusion: Wastewater-based surveillance of AMR appears promising, with high overall concordance between wastewater and human AMR prevalence estimates in studies irrespective of heterogenous approaches. However, our review suggests

Chapter 13. The use of microbe–seed interactions for weed management has been variously discussed over the last few decades, and soil microbes have been demonstrated to play an important role in affecting weed seedbank persistence and weed demography. However, very few weed management applications based on such interactions have so far been successfully tested under field conditions. This chapter provides an up-to-date summary of what is known about direct interactions between buried weed seeds and soil-borne microbes. The principal mechanisms of microbial attack of seeds, the roles of abiotic environmental factors and of biotic interactions in modulating microbe–seed interactions, and seed defence mechanisms underlying weed seed resistance to microbial decay are herein discussed. In addition, how these different aspects can affect weed management applications, via soil inoculation with seed-pathogenic microbes, the manipulation of environmental conditions to promote seed decay processes, and the weakening of seed defences against microbial attack is also discussed. These approaches can be deployed alone or in combination, but combinational approaches may be more promising when designing weed management applications. As shown in this chapter, due to the availability of modern molecular microbial methods, remarkable progress has been made in understanding seed defences and defence syndromes and mechanisms of microbial attack. However, the underlying processes in the field are still only very poorly understood, and a more detailed conceptual framework of how soil-borne seed-decaying microorganisms, weed seeds and their seed-borne microflora, and their environment interact with each other must be developed to facilitate the development of more reliable weed management options.

Disease (re)emergence appears to be driven by biodiversity decline and environmental change. As a result, it is increasingly important to study host-pathogen interactions within the context of their ecology and evolution. The dilution effect is the concept that higher biodiversity decreases pathogen transmission. It has been observed especially in zoonotic vector-borne pathosystems, yet evidence against it has been found. In particular, it is still debated how the community (dis)assembly assumptions and the degree of generalism of vectors and pathogens affect the direction of the biodiversity-pathogen transmission relationship. The aim of this study was to use empirical data and mechanistic models to investigate dilution mechanisms in two rodent-tick-pathogen systems differing in their vector degree of generalism. A community was assembled to include ecological interactions that expand from purely additive to purely substitutive. Such systems are excellent candidates to analyze the link between vector ecology, community (dis)assembly dynamics, and pathogen transmission. To base our mechanistic models on empirical data, rodent live-trapping, including tick sampling, was conducted in Wales across two seasons for three consecutive years. We have developed a deterministic single-vector, multi-host compartmental model that includes ecological relationships with non-host species, uniquely integrating theoretical and observational approaches. To describe pathogen transmission across a gradient of community diversity, the model was populated with parameters describing five different scenarios differing in ecological complexity; each based around one of the pathosystems: Ixodes ricinus (generalist tick) - Borrelia burgdorferi and I. trianguliceps (small mammals specialist tick) - Babesia microti. The results suggested that community composition and inter-specific dynamics affected pathogen transmission with different dilution outcomes depending on the vector degree of genera

Compost is an ecological niche for Aspergillus fumigatus due to its role as a decomposer of organic matter and its ability to survive the high temperatures associated with the composting process. Subsequently, composting facilities are associated with high levels of A. fumigatus spores that are aerosolized from compost and cause respiratory illness in workers. In the UK, gardening is an activity enjoyed by individuals of all ages, and it is likely that they are being exposed to A. fumigatus spores when handling commercial compost or compost they have produced themselves. In the present study, 246 citizen scientists collected 509 soil samples from locations in their gardens in the UK, from which were cultured 5,174 A. fumigatus isolates. Of these isolates, 736 (14%) were resistant to tebuconazole: the third most-sprayed triazole fungicide in the UK, which confers cross-resistance to the medical triazoles used to treat A. fumigatus lung infections in humans. These isolates were found to contain the common resistance mechanisms in the A. fumigatus cyp51A gene TR34/L98H or TR46/Y121F/T289A, as well as the less common resistance mechanisms TR34, TR53, TR46/Y121F/T289A/S363P/I364V/G448S, and (TR46)2/Y121F/M172I/T289A/G448S. Regression analyses found that soil samples containing compost were significantly more likely to grow tebuconazole-susceptible and tebuconazole-resistant A. fumigatus strains than those that did not and that compost samples grew significantly higher numbers of A. fumigatus than other samples.

Wild rodent communities represent ideal systems to study pathogens and parasites shared among sympatric species. Such studies are useful in the investigation of eco-epidemiological dynamics, improving disease management strategies and reducing zoonotic risk. The aim of this study was to investigate pathogen and parasites shared among rodent species (multi-host community) in West Wales in an area where human/wildlife disease risk was not previously assessed. West Wales is predominantly rural, with human settlements located alongside to grazing areas and semi-natural landscapes, creating a critical human-livestock-wildlife interface. Ground-dwelling wild rodent communities in Wales were live-trapped and biological samples – faeces and ectoparasites – collected and screened for a suite of pathogens and parasites that differ in types of transmission and ecology. Faecal samples were examined to detect Herpesvirus, Escherichia coli, and Mycobacterium microti. Ticks and fleas were collected, identified to species based on morphology and genetic barcodes, and then screened for Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Babesia microti, Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, and Bartonella sp. All the pathogens and parasites screened pose a characteristic epidemiological challenge, such as variable level of generalism, unknown zoonotic potential, and lack of data. The results showed that the bank vole Myodes glareolus had the highest prevalence of all pathogens and parasites. Higher flea species diversity was detected than in previous studies, and at least two Bartonella species were found circulating, one of which has not previously been detected in the UK. These key findings offer new insights into the distribution of selected pathogen and parasites and subsequent zoonotic risk, and provide new baselines and perspectives for further eco-epidemiological research.

Microbial communities play important roles in lake ecosystems and are sensitive to environmental change. However, our understanding of their responses to long-term change such as eutrophication is limited, as long-term lake monitoring is rare, and traditional paleolimnological techniques (pigments and microfossils) are restricted to a low taxonomic resolution, or organisms with well-preserved structures. Sedimentary DNA (sedDNA) is a promising technique to reconstruct past microbial communities in sediments, but taphonomic processes and the ability of sedDNA to record bacterial pelagic history accurately are largely unknown. Here, we sequenced the 16S rRNA gene in triplicate sediment cores from Esthwaite Water (English Lake District) which has concurrent long-term monitoring and observational data. The sediment record spanned 113 years and included an episode of increased nutrient availability from the 1970s, followed by a more recent decline. Trends in bacterial community composition were broadly similar among the three sediment cores. Cyanobacterial richness in the sediment cores correlated significantly with that of cyanobacteria in a 65-year microscopy-based monitoring record, and some known pelagic bacterial taxa were detected in the sediment. sedDNA revealed distinct shifts in community composition in response to changing lake physicochemical conditions. The relative abundance of cyanobacteria closely reflected nutrient enrichment, and Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Verrucomicrobia were relatively more abundant in recent sediments, while Chloroflexi, Firmicutes, Acidobacteria, Nitrospirae, Spirochaetes, and Planctomycetes declined in more recent sediments. Following lake restoration efforts to reduce nutrient enrichment, the relative abundance of cyanobacteria returned to pre-1970 levels, but the bacterial community did not fully recover from the period of intense eutrophication within the time scale of our study. These results suggest that sedDNA is a val

This study reports on the effects of long-term exposure to the metals arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd) and the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon fluoranthene on the survival, growth, development and DNA methylation status of the earthworm Lumbricus rubellus. Exposures to the three chemicals were conducted over their whole juvenile developmental period from egg to adult. Significant effects on one or more measured endpoints were found for all three chemicals. Arsenic had no effect on survival, but had a significant effect on growth rates at concentrations of 36 mg/kg or higher and also slowed the rate of maturation. Cadmium significantly reduced juvenile survival at 500 mg/kg, juvenile growth at 148 mg/kg and maturation rates at all tested concentrations. Fluoranthene had no effect on survival or the developmental period, but did significantly reduce growth rates at 800 mg/kg. Effects at these concentrations are consistent with the known effects of these three chemicals on earthworms from previous studies conducted mainly with Eisenia fetida. Both As and Cd had no effect on DNA methylation patterning in earthworms measured at the end of the exposure. Fluoranthene was shown, for the first time. to have an effect on a species’ DNA methylation levels. These results suggest that apical phenotypic changes for As and Cd are not necessarily associated with changes in DNA methylation profiles. However, exposure to the organic chemical fluoranthene influenced DNA methylation patterns, suggesting wider remodelling of the epigenome for this chemical.

To determine the role of environmental and host genetic factors in shaping fungal endophyte communities we used culturing and metabarcoding techniques to quantify fungal taxa within healthy Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) needles in a 7-y old provenance-progeny trial replicated at three sites. Both methods revealed a community of ascomycete and basidiomycete taxa dominated by the needle pathogen Lophodermium seditiosum. Differences in fungal endophyte taxon composition and diversity indices were highly significant among trial sites. Within two sites, fungal endophyte communities varied significantly among provenances. Furthermore, the communities differed significantly among maternal families within provenances in 11/15 and 7/15 comparisons involving culture and metabarcoding data respectively. We conclude that both environmental and host genetic variation shape the fungal endophyte community of P. sylvestris needles.

We present a genome assembly from an individual female Phlogophora meticulosa (the angle shades; Arthropoda; Insecta; Lepidoptera; Noctuidae). The genome sequence is 539 megabases in span. The majority of the assembly, 95.17%, is scaffolded into 31 chromosomal pseudomolecules, with the Z sex chromosome assembled. Some unassigned scaffolds are identified as belonging to the W chromosome based on half-depth coverage and comparison to other Noctuidae W chromosomes. The mitochondrial genome was also assembled and is 15.4 kilobases in length.

We present a genome assembly from an individual male Notodonta ziczac (the pebble prominent; Arthropoda; Insecta; Lepidoptera; Notodontidae). The genome sequence is 352 megabases in span. The majority of the assembly (99.66%) is scaffolded into 31 chromosomal pseudomolecules, with the Z sex chromosome assembled. The mitochondrial genome was also assembled, and is 18.3 kilobases in length.

A five-month survey on Eucalyptus spp., one of the most commonly planted trees in Cyprus, was undertaken in Limassol and Akrotiri in urban, rural and protected habitats. Two alien gall-inducing Eucalyptus wasps: Leptocybe invasa Fisher and La Salle, 2004 and Ophelimus maskelli (Ashmead, 1900) (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) were recorded for the first time from Cyprus. In addition, three new alien parasitoids: Stethynium ophelimi (Huber, 2006) (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae), Closterocerus chamaeleon (Girault, 1922) (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) and Megastigmus lawsoni Doğanlar and Hassan, 2010 (Hymenoptera: Torymidae), were reared from O. maskelli and L. invasa galls. The distribution, introduction and management actions for Eucalyptus spp. and their alien Chalcidoidea associates are discussed.

Offspring of older parents in many species have decreased longevity, a faster ageing rate and lower fecundity than offspring born to younger parents. Biomarkers of ageing, such as telomeres, that tend to shorten as individuals age, may provide insight into the mechanisms of such parental age effects. Parental age may be associated with offspring telomere length either directly through inheritance of shortened telomeres or indirectly, for example, through changes in parental care in older parents affecting offspring telomere length. Across the literature there is considerable variation in estimates of the heritability of telomere length, and in the direction and extent of parental age effects on telomere length. To address this, we experimentally tested how parental age is associated with the early-life telomere dynamics of chicks at two time points in a captive population of house sparrows Passer domesticus. We experimentally separated parental age from sex effects, and removed effects of age-assortative mating, by allowing the parent birds to only mate with young, or old partners. The effect of parental age was dependent on the sex of the parent and the chicks, and was found in the father-daughter relationship only; older fathers produced daughters with longer telomere lengths post-fledging. Overall we found that chick telomere length increased between the age of 0.5 and 3 months at the population and individual level. This finding is unusual in birds with such increases more commonly associated with non-avian taxa. Our results suggest parental age effects on telomere length are sex-specific either through indirect or direct inheritance. The study of similar patterns in different species and taxa will help us further understand variation in telomere length and its evolution.

Tinospora cordifolia possesses antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, vaso-relaxing activity and phytoremediation properties. The present study focused on the toxicological risk assessment of herbal decoction. Two prominent heavy metals viz., cadmium and lead were analyzed using inductively coupled plasma- optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). A comparative study between hot-plate microwave digestion of the sample was also performed. The outcomes of the study showed a higher amount of targeted metals but a little lesser than the permissible limit of WHO. Further the efficiency of decoction gram-negative pathogenic bacteria strain with multiple drug resistance (MDR) was checked by estimating its antibacterial activity. The results of the study provided its authenticity as herbal remedy with effective antibacterial properties. Further in situ hazard assessment of heavy metals in T. cordifolia cell lines on various micro-organisms is required.

The antimicrobial activity of Tinospora cordifolia aqueous extract was screened against gram-positive and negative multiple drug-resistant (MDR) bacterial strains. Gram-positive included Bacillus cereus, Bacillus paranthracis and gram-negative included Aeromonas hydrophila, Aeromonas caviae and Aeromonas dhakensis. These strains were isolated from wastewater treatment plants having domestic and hospital discharge and conferred resistance against most frequently used antibiotics. These multiple drug resistance bacterial strains showed sensitivity towards aqueous extract of T. cordifolia. The present study concluded that all selected bacterial strains showed a 17.9 mm lowest zone of inhibition and 33.9 mm highest in the case of gram-positive bacteria. Similarly, in the case of gram-negative bacteria, the lowest of 19 mm and the highest of 32.5 mm zone of inhibition.

Apex predators are good indicators of environmental pollution since they are relatively long-lived and their high trophic position and spatiotemporal exposure to chemicals provides insights into the persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic (PBT) properties of chemicals. Although monitoring data from apex predators can considerably support chemicals’ management, there is a lack of pan-European studies, and longer-term monitoring of chemicals in organisms from higher trophic levels. The present study investigated the occurrence of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) in 67 freshwater, marine and terrestrial apex predators and in freshwater and marine prey, gathered from four European countries. Generic sample preparation protocols for the extraction of CECs with a broad range of physicochemical properties and the purification of the extracts were used. The analysis was performed utilizing liquid (LC) chromatography coupled to high resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS), while the acquired chromatograms were screened for the presence of more than 2,200 CECs through wide-scope target analysis. In total, 145 CECs were determined in the apex predator and their prey samples belonging in different categories, such as pharmaceuticals, plant protection products, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, their metabolites and transformation products. Higher concentration levels were measured in predators compared to prey, suggesting that biomagnification of chemicals through the food chain occurs. The compounds were prioritized for further regulatory risk assessment based on their frequency of detection and their concentration levels. The majority of the prioritized CECs were lipophilic, although the presence of more polar contaminants should not be neglected. This indicates that holistic analytical approaches are required to fully characterize the chemical universe of biota samples. Therefore, the present survey is an attempt to systematically investigate the presence of thousands of

We use a national citizen science monitoring scheme to quantify how agricultural intensification affects honeybee diet breadth (number of plant species). To do this we used DNA metabarcoding to identify the plants present in 527 honey samples collected in 2019 across Great Britain. The species richness of forage plants was negatively correlated with arable cropping area, although this was only found early in the year when the abundance of flowering plants was more limited. Within intensively farmed areas, honeybee diets were dominated by Brassica crops (including oilseed rape). We demonstrate how the structure and complexity of honeybee foraging relationships with plants is negatively affected by the area of arable crops surrounding hives. Using information collected from the beekeepers on the incidence of an economically damaging bee disease (Deformed Wing Virus) we found that the occurrence of this disease increased where bees foraged in agricultural land where there was a high use of foliar insecticides. Understanding impacts of land use on resource availability is fundamental to assessing long-term viability of pollinator populations. These findings highlight the importance of supporting temporally timed resources as mitigation strategies to support wider pollinator population viability.

We present a genome assembly from an individual male Biston betularia (the peppered moth; Arthropoda; Insecta; Lepidoptera; Geometridae). The genome sequence is 405 megabases in span. The majority of the assembly (99.99%) is scaffolded into 31 chromosomal pseudomolecules, with the Z sex chromosome assembled.Gene annotation of this assembly on Ensembl has identified 12,251 protein coding genes.