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Permanent ponds represent important habitats for aquatic biodiversity and provide vital ecosystem services as key elements for blue landscape connectivity. Although mostly neglected in management programmes, protection schemes and biodiversity studies in general, ponds constitute habitats with high á- and spatial â-diversity, providing unique habitat conditions for many rare and endemic species. The main focus of our contribution is to describe Odonata (including both dragonflies and damselflies) diversity patterns from 46 ponds distributed across Europe. Our data set summarises all Odonate occurrences (i.e., Odonata captured in emerging traps, adults recorded in the surrounding environment and larvae from benthic samples) from the EUROPONDS project - an Early Career Researchers (ECR) project focusing on emerging insects from ponds. Field sampling was conducted during a whole year sampling campaign throughout 2020/21 in 18 European countries. Our preliminary results suggest a clear latitudinal gradient in Odonata diversity across Europe, i.e., the highest α- and β-diversity levels were found in southernmost ponds (Spain) and the lowest diversity in northernmost ponds (Ireland). Odonata that belonged to the four families of Aeshnidae, Libellulidae, Coenagrionidae and Platycnemididae were captured in the emergence traps in only nine out of the total 46 sampled ponds. The most diverse family was Coenagrionidae, which also represented the most abundant odonate family in benthic samples, especially noted in Polish ponds. Among the observed adult specimens of Odonata (42 different taxa), the commonest species across Europe were Sympetrum striolatum, Aeshna cyanea, Anax imperator, Libellula quadrimaculata, Crocothemis erythraea and Enallagma cyathigerum. Additionally, the endemic species Ischnura graellsii and the newly immigrant Trithemis kirbyi were reported from Spanish ponds. These locations constitute their northernmost distributional ranges in Europe. Overall, our findings should contribute to the knowledge on spatial distributions of odonates across European ponds.

Whilst being small and shallow, permanent ponds provide valuable habitats for a multitude of organisms as well as provide habitats for animals like aquatic insects and others, including many rare species. These ponds, which were often neglected in limnological studies, were the core of our joint project, the 3rd freshwater project - EUROPONDS in order to evaluate the often overlooked ecological ecosystem services provided by permanent ponds across Europe. As a part of this project, two Hungarian ponds were surveyed for a full year (2020/21). One of the project aims was to assess the freshwater macroinvertebrate assemblages by dip netting over the four annual seasons. Here, we present preliminary results examining the data on larval Odonata of two Hungarian ponds in relation to the physicochemical variables measured, as well as compare the results to a previous national survey. Altogether the examination of 24 waterbodies (22 from a national survey and two from the EUROPONDS project) was carried out in this study. All of the involved water bodies were clustered using a Ward analysis including the water physicochemical parameters into three groups, and then the dragonfly fauna was investigated within the groups found. Diversity metrics and the presence or absence of different species were also included and the results were compared between the different clusters. Herein, we aimed to assess differences between the three main clusters, identify key factors driving the presence of the studied species and the relationship between the diversity indexes and the physicochemical parameters influencing the Odonata communities in the studied ponds.

Whilst being generally small and shallow lentic water bodies, ponds provide valuable habitats for a multitude of groups and contribute to habitat connectivity. Semi-aquatic insects emerging from such ponds act as one of the most important vectors of dietary energy to the adjacent terrestrial environment. By providing essential fatty acids, emerging insects constitute an important nutritional food resource for terrestrial (e.g. spiders, lizards, ants) and aerial (e.g. bats, birds) consumers. Broad-scale studies are needed to explore differences in dietary exports encompassing diverse pond types and different landscapes or regions, with the final aim of drawing general patterns. Herein we present the first results of "EUROPONDS". In this ongoing project we quantify the seasonal and spatial variation in insect emergence. In a total of 55 ponds distributed across Europe we installed emergence traps for one week per season over a full year. This broad scale set-up allows us to quantify differences in biomass export between different geographical regions, between rural and urban systems as well as between natural and artificial ponds. The project brings together the knowledge of 80 early-career limnologists from all over Europe and therefore not only provides important insight in the aquatic-terrestrial linkages of ponds, but also provides an important exchange among the future generation of European limnologists.

Invertebrates have recently been recognised under a global decline, a situation that seems to be accentuated in continental waterbodies. In the EUROPONDS project we deepened in the contribution of aquatic invertebrates to terrestrial ecosystems, representing countries all over Europe. Our study was encompassed in a restored quarry in Alpedrete, Madrid, Spain, a landscape destined for livestock activities. We evaluated the invertebrate assemblages of a small permanent pond after restoration (physicochemical variables, macroinvertebrates assemblages and macrophytes species) and its contribution to the landscape by the emerging insects. To do that, we have carried out seasonal samplings starting in autumn 2020 and finishing by summer 2021. We detected a highly aquatic biodiversity in our study pond, showing oversaturation of dissolved oxygen concentration and a rich and dense cover of macrophytes. A diverse assemblage of aquatic macroinvertebrates included odonates, heteropterans, coleopterans, culicids, chironomids and ephemeropterans. We located two traps for emergent insects during one week each season, and we captured flying and adult individuals of some of these macroinvertebrates (even 60 chironomids in winter), revealing the importance of this pond for the adjacent landscape. We concluded that our shallow permanent pond shows a high degree of naturalisation due to the huge diversity of fauna and flora recorded. We consider of concern that the cattle’s faeces in the surroundings of the pond could reduce the water quality as detected an increase in nitrate concentration (0,16 mg/L in winter). Therefore, we encourage regional authorities to include this pond in the regional program for wetland conservation.

Globally there’s an astounding and often underestimated number of ponds (small stagnant water bodies). Ponds, whilst directly providing habitats for a multitude of animals and plants, also contribute to habitat connectivity by enabling organisms to cross the landscape, acting as “blue stepping stones”. The diverse community of insects emerging from such ponds acts as a vector of dietary energy to the surrounding terrestrial environment. By providing highly unsaturated fatty acids, emerging insects constitute a high nutritional food resource for terrestrial (e.g. spiders, lizards) and avian (e.g. bats, birds) consumers. One important dietary resource these insects export is essential fatty acids. These are introduced initially into the local food web and then on into the main terrestrial cycle. However, knowledge about the exact ecological role of ponds, their contribution to beta- and gamma-biodiversity, and dietary energy transfer is limited. Herein, we present preliminary results for the first seasonal sampling (Autumn 2020) of our ongoing “EUROPONDS” project. EUROPONDS aims to fill this gap of knowledge on ponds by analyzing 55 ponds distributed across Europe from Sweden in the north to remote Mediterranean islands in the south, from rural areas to large cities, and including both artificial and natural ponds. EUROPONDS brings together around 80 European early-career limnologists and covers autumn, winter, spring, and summer sampling campaigns through 2020/21. Preliminary results from autumn 2020 indicate differences in emerging insect biomass, trophic status of ponds, and between artificial and natural ponds.

gamma delta T cells play a role in a wide range of diseases such as autoimmunity and cancer. The majority of circulating human gamma delta T lymphocytes express a V gamma 9V delta 2+ (V delta 2+) T cell receptor (TCR) and following activation release pro-inflammatory cytokines. In this study, we show that IFN gamma, produced by V delta 2+ cells, activates mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-mediated immunosupression, which in turn exerts a negative feedback mechanism on gamma delta T cell function ranging from cytokine production to proliferation. Importantly, this modulatory effect is limited to a short period of time (

© 2015, eLife Sciences Publications Ltd. All rights reserved. It is unclear that how subcellular organelles respond to external mechanical stimuli. Here, we investigated the molecular mechanisms by which mechanical force regulatesCa2+signaling at endoplasmic reticulum (ER) in human mesenchymal stem cells. Without extracellularCa2+, ERCa2+release is the source of intracellularCa2+oscillations induced by laser-tweezer-traction at the plasma membrane, providing a model to study how mechanical stimuli can be transmitted deep inside the cell body. This ERCa2+release upon mechanical stimulation is mediated not only by the mechanical support of cytoskeleton and actomyosin contractility, but also by mechanosensitive Ca2+permeable channels on the plasma membrane, specifically TRPM7. However,Ca2+influx at the plasma membrane via mechanosensitiveCa2+permeable channels is only mediated by the passive cytoskeletal structure but not active actomyosin contractility. Thus, active actomyosin contractility is essential for the response of ER to the external mechanical stimuli, distinct from the mechanical regulation at the plasma membrane.

The zinc-finger protein A20 is a key player in the negative feedback regulation of the nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B-cell (NF-?B) pathway in response to multiple stimuli. Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFa), a cytokine with pleiotropic effects on cellular proliferation and differentiation, dramatically increases A20 expression in all tissues. As TNFa inhibits adipocyte differentiation, we have determined the contribution of A20 to the adipogenic capacity of human mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs). Here we show that A20 is constitutively expressed in MSCs, which previously has been observed only in cells that are either tumor or immune cells (T/B lymphocytes). TNFa stimulation induced a rapid degradation of A20 protein mediated exclusively by the proteasome in MSCs and not by caspases. This degradation is concomitant to the induction of its own mRNA, which suggests that a tight regulation of NF-?B signaling in MSCs is fundamental. On one hand, we demonstrate that the knockdown of A20-mediated transcript dramatically decreases the adipogenic capacity of MSCs, which correlates with the phenotype observed in the presence of TNFa. On the other hand, A20 overexpression blocks NF-?B activation and drives to increased adipogenesis, even in the presence of TNFa treatment. In conclusion, our data demonstrate that the presence of A20 allows MSCs to differentiate into adipocytes by maintaining NF-?B signaling at a basal state.