Species of lichen-forming fungi (LFF) display an array of geographical distribution patterns. Among the broadly distributed lichen-forming fungal species, the degree of reproductive isolation and genetic substructure among populations varies widely, in some cases masking unrecognized diversity or meaningful biogeographical patterns. Lecidea atrobrunnea (Raymond ex Lam. & DC.) Schaer. s. lat. (Lecideaceae) is a widespread species complex that has been studied for over two centuries since its initial description. The diversity of the L. atrobrunnea group is highest in western North America, where a dizzying array of morphologies and chemistry can occur at local scales. Here we investigate whether the assumed cosmopolitan distribution of L. atrobrunnea s. lat. is an artifact of taxonomic limitations and masks biogeographical patterns in this species complex. To address these questions, we compiled sequence data from the standard fungal barcoding marker (ITS) for over 100 specimens within this complex, in addition to genome-scale data from a subset of these representing over 1600 single-copy nuclear genes spanning over 3 Mb of the genome. Our study corroborates the perspective that the morphologically and chemically variable Lecidea atrobrunnea group reflects a complex of distinct species-level lineages, with 42–83 candidate species inferred from the ITS region and high levels of diversity inferred from a subset of specimens using genome-scale data. However, both phenotype- and molecular-based species boundaries remained unsettled, with the most common nominal taxa recovered as highly polyphyletic and with conflict among different molecular species delimitation approaches. Our study also highlights the potential for geographically restricted species, with fascinating biogeographical patterns, challenging, in part, the assumed cosmopolitan distribution of L. atrobrunnea s. lat. This study provides valuable direction for future research that will be crucial in understanding diversification and establishing a robust taxonomy for this well-known species complex.

Spodoptera littoralis is a highly polyphagous pest that attacks numerous important crops in the world and causes substantial economic losses to agricultural production. In the present study, the effects of different leafy vegetables, including Purslane, Chives, Parsley, Basil, Dill, Coriander, and Mint, were investigated on feeding responses and enzymatic activities of S. littoralis under laboratory conditions. Furthermore, the total contents of the three major secondary metabolites (phenolics, anthocyanins, and flavonoids) in the studied vegetables were determined. Our findings showed that the lowest and the highest approximate digestibility were on Basil and Purslane, respectively. The highest values of efficiency of conversion of ingested and digested food were achieved in larvae fed on Chives and Coriander, respectively, whereas the lowest values were recorded after feeding on Purslane. The highest and lowest relative growth rates were in larvae reared on Dill and Purslane, respectively. Furthermore, the highest amylolytic and proteolytic activities were in larvae fed with Coriander and Dill, respectively, while the lowest activities of these enzymes were on Purslane. In addition, correlation analysis revealed significant correlations between feeding characteristics and enzymatic activity of S. littoralis with biochemical compounds of the studied leafy vegetables. Our results suggest that Coriander is a suitable host, while Purslane displayed tolerance traits against S. littoralis, which can be used in sustainable management programs aiming to reduce chemical inputs.

Lichens often grow in microhabitats where they are exposed to severe abiotic stresses such as desiccation and temperature extremes. They are also often exposed to levels of light that are greater than lichen photobionts can use in carbon fixation. Unless regulated, excess energy absorbed by the photobionts can convert ground state oxygen to reactive oxygen species (ROS). These ROS can attack the photosynthetic apparatus, causing photoinhibition and photo-oxidative stress, reducing the ability of the photobionts to fix carbon. Here, we outline our current understanding of the effects of high light on lichens and the mechanisms they use to mitigate or tolerate this stress in hydrated and desiccated states. Tolerance to high light can be achieved first by lowering ROS formation, via synthesizing light screening pigments or by thermally dissipating the excess light energy absorbed; second, by scavenging ROS once formed; or third, by repairing ROS-induced damage. While the primary focus of this review is tolerance to high light in lichen photobionts, our knowledge is rather fragmentary, and therefore we also include recent findings in free-living relatives to stimulate new lines of research in the study of high light tolerance in lichens.

New treatment strategies for schistosomiasis should be evaluated, since resistant strains to the only available drug, Praziquantel, have already been described. Thus, we demonstrated antiparasitic effects of ethanolic extracts of Jatropha gossypiifolia and Piper arboreum on cercariae and adult worms of Schistosoma mansoni. The bioassays were performed at 0–10 000 μg mL−1 concentration for 0–72 h. Adult worms were stained with carmine to assess external and internal damage. The chemical screening was performed using high-performance liquid chromatography. P. arboreum displayed the best cercaricidal effect, with a 100% reduction in viability in just 60 min. The extract of J. gossypiifolia was more effective against adult worms, with 100% viability reduction of male and female worms after 12 and 24 h, respectively. P. arboreum and J. gossypiifolia were equally effective in inhibiting the oviposition of S. mansoni (93% reduction) and causing damage to internal and external structures in adult worms. Flavonoids were identified in both the extracts and phenolic compounds and amides only in P. arboreum. Thus, for the first time, it was proven that ethanolic extracts of P. arboreum and J. gossypiifolia leaves are biologically active against cercariae and adult worms of S. mansoni in vitro.

In this study, maize landraces, previously collected from different regions of Turkey through a national maize breeding project, were screened for kernel oil content and oil quality. After a seed reproduction in 2017, the screening trial was conducted in 2018, using an Augmented Experimental Design with 192 local maize populations along with seven check hybrids. Data were collected on oil, oleic acid, linoleic acid, monounsaturated (MUFA), polyunsaturated and saturated fatty acids, total carotenoid and total tocopherol contents. The results showed that there was a considerable amount of genetic variation among the Turkish maize landraces for almost all the traits investigated in this study. Some of the evaluated landraces are available that could be considered as high oil variety or special genotypes in terms of certain oil quality traits. Landraces had significantly higher values than checks for oil content, oleic acid, MUFA and tocopherol contents. Genetic analyses suggest that the kernel quality traits could be successfully manipulated using the investigated plant material. Heritability values were found high for all the traits of interest, except for saturated fatty acid and total carotenoid content. The promising landraces detected in this study could be exploited in future breeding programmes upon further evaluations at the population level.

Phylogenetic reconstructions based on ITS/5.8S and mtSSU DNA sequence data suggest a close relationship between two Lecanora species containing calycin and usnic acid and the Lecanora polytropa group. Lecanora solaris Yakovchenko & Davydov sp. nov. is described from the Altai Mountains in Russia. Its gross morphology resembles that of L. somervellii as both species have an effigurate, citrine-yellow thallus (due to the production of calycin). However, L. solaris is distinguished from L. somervellii by having a small, squamulose to marginally lobate umbilicate thallus and apothecia with a persistent margin, whereas L. somervellii has a large, distinctly placodioid thallus and an apothecial margin that is soon excluded.

The experiments reported in this Research Paper aimed to study the effects of mustard and cumin seeds inclusion on feed utilisation, milk production, composition, and profile of milk fatty acids in lactating Damascus goats. The study was a completely randomised design with repeated measurements in time using fifteen goats (6 ± 2 d of lactation) divided into 3 treatments (5 goats per treatment). Goats were offered a control diet of berseem clover and concentrates (1 : 1 dry matter (DM) basis) or the control diet supplemented with either 10 g/d of dried mustard seeds (mustard treatment) or 10 g/d of cumin seeds (cumin treatment) for 12 weeks. Treatments had no effect (P > 0·05) on feed intake, but enhanced (P < 0·05) digestibility of DM, organic matter, non-structural carbohydrates, and fibre fractions. Digestibility was greater (P < 0·001) with cumin treatment compared with mustard treatment. Mustard and cumin seeds had greater (P < 0·05) ruminal total short chain fatty acids (SCFA) production, and molar proportion of propionate, with greater (P < 0·001) SCFA production for cumin vs. mustard treatment. Mustard and cumin seeds increased (P < 0·05) concentrations of serum total proteins, globulin, and glucose and lowered (P < 0·05) serum cholesterol concentration. Mustard and cumin seeds inclusion elevated milk production (P = 0·007), while cumin increased milk contents (P < 0·05) of fat and lactose. Cumin treatment lowered (P < 0·05) milk saturated fatty acids (SFA) and had greater total unsaturated fatty acids (UFA) and total conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) contents. Overall, supplementing diets of Damascus goats with mustard or cumin seeds at 10 g/daily enhanced feed digestion, ruminal fermentation, milk yield (actual production by 6·8 and 11·1%, and energy corrected milk yield by 10·1 and 15·4%, respectively) and positively modified milk fatty acid profile with a 3·9% decrease in milk individual and total SFA, and an increase in individual and total UFA by about 9·7%, and total CLA by about 23·1%.

Leishmaniasis is a widely spread and zoonotic disease with serious problems as low effectiveness of drugs, emergence of parasite resistance and severe adverse reactions. In recent years, considerable attention has been given to secondary metabolites produced by Photorhabdus luminescens, an entomopathogenic bacterium. Here, we assessed the leishmanicidal activity of P. luminescens culture fluids. Initially, promastigotes of Leishmania amazonensis were incubated with cell free conditioned medium of P. luminescens and parasite survival was monitored. Different pre-treatments of the conditioned medium revealed that the leishmanicidal activity is due to a secreted peptide smaller than 3 kDa. The Photorhabdus-derived leishmanicidal toxin (PLT) was enriched from conditioned medium and its effect on mitochondrial membrane potential of promastigotes, was determined. Moreover, the biological activity of PLT against amastigotes was evaluated. PLT inhibited the parasite growth and showed significant leishmanicidal activity against promastigote and amastigotes of L. amazonensis. PLT also caused mitochondrial dysfunction in parasites, but low toxicity to mammalian cell and human erythrocytes. Moreover, the anti-amastigote activity was independent of nitric oxide production. In summary, our results highlight that P. luminescens secretes Leishmania-toxic peptide(s) that are promising novel drugs for therapy against leishmaniasis.

Agriculture in the Altiplano and Andean Mountains is experiencing threats to sustainability mainly due to intensive cultivation of quinoa driven by international markets. This recent export-oriented production system is causing the degradation of soils and reducing productivity, therefore, agro-technological innovations are necessary to sustain cropping systems while maintaining organic quality (mostly quinoa). In this work, we searched for native Trichoderma species associated with plants from the Andean highlands to obtain an environmentally friendly and organic alternative to chemical fertilizers. We obtained different Trichoderma isolates from quinoa, potato and maize roots and soil, which were identified as Trichoderma harzianum, as well as other species. Twelve of the isolates were cultured in pairs to stimulate the production and secretion of compounds of diverse chemical nature that we called collectively ‘secondary metabolites’ (SMs). Crude extracts of SMs were used to inoculate selected crops to determine their plant growth promoting potential compared with two commercially available controls, chemical fertilizer and a bio-fertilizer. Results showed that SMs significantly promoted lettuce and radish growth and increased quinoa grain yield. Indole acetic acid was detected in all SM extracts that promoted plant growth, suggesting that this plant regulator might be responsible for the plant growth promoting activity. In conclusion, the Trichoderma-derived SMs approach appears to be a promising, simple and accessible technology for small-scale farmers in order to insure the sustainability, affordability and accessibility of food production in the Andes.

With increasing interest in natural products of plant origin for medicinal and health care benefits there is added emphasis on the quality of the source raw material. In most cases the vegetative tissues and organs are the source of the required raw material. However, such tissues/organs may become infested/susceptible to many diseases causing deterioration of the quality of the desired economic product and loss of genetic resources. Considerable progress has been made with respect to the identification of disease causing organisms, and their pathogenic impact at organ, cellular and biochemical level. This review focuses on various diseases caused by bacteria, fungi, nematodes, viruses and phytoplasmas threatening the yield, biomass, bioactive potential of medicinal and aromatic plants of the sub-tropics. Several studies suggest that management of diseases through biological measures is more effective to check multiple diseases. Necessary management strategies for efficient disease management to realize quality raw material and enhanced metabolite productive potential have been outlined.

Micarea soralifera sp. nov., a new sorediate species belonging to the M. prasina group, is characterized by soralia developing directly from the endoxylic thallus or small external areoles, as well as the presence of micareic acid. Phylogenetic analyses of mtSSU rDNA sequences have shown that its closest relative is M. subviridescens. ITS rDNA sequence, a marker proposed as the universal barcoding region of fungi, was generated from the holotype.

In Central Amazonia, large mammals create water-filled puddles when consuming soil. These mineral licks are visited by pregnant and lactating frugivorous bats; possibly for two reasons. Frugivorous bats could supplement their mineral-depleted fruit diet by drinking salty water, or they could buffer dietary plant secondary compounds by consuming soil. We analysed bat fruits from Ecuador and showed that they are depleted in elemental concentrations (Na, K, P) compared with similar fruits collected from Costa Rica, where no mineral licks occur (n = 32). Analyses of water from Ecuador revealed that water samples from six mineral licks contained more physiologically relevant elements (Na, K, Mg, Ca) than four samples from river and stream water control sites (Mann–Whitney U-test). In support of the nutrient supplement hypothesis, we observed bats drinking mineral-enriched water at these licks (video observation). Furthermore, blood collected from 68 bats differed in composition with respect to physiologically relevant minerals (Na, K, Mg, Fe) from that of frugivorous bats captured at control sites. To test whether frugivorous bats also consumed clay for detoxification, we checked for soil tracer elements in 31 faecal samples. Soil tracers are insoluble in water and, thus, are not included in a strict fruit diet. Bats from mineral licks showed higher aluminium soil tracer concentrations in their faeces than bat species that never visit licks, suggesting that frugivorous bats take up clay material at mineral licks. Our results provide evidence that frugivorous bats ingest soluble mineral nutrients and insoluble soil by consuming soil-enriched water at mineral licks, thus supporting the hypothesis that frugivorous bats of western Amazonia may derive a dual benefit from drinking water from mineral licks.

Lichens respond sensitively to ambient nitrogen levels. Global change, which includes the increase of nitrogen-polluted environments, causes the decline of species sensitive to eutrophication, whereas some species tolerant of high nitrogen levels increase. Lichens produce hundreds of carbon-based secondary substances (so-called lichen substances), most of which are unique to the lichen symbiosis. In the present paper, correlative patterns between the eutrophication tolerance of lichen species and their secondary chemistry are analyzed using two data sets, one classifying the eutrophication tolerance of more than 500 Central European lichen species, and another of epiphytic lichens from more than 1200 plots from the Netherlands. Analyses show that, in general, the diversity of lichen secondary metabolites decreases along with increasing tolerance to eutrophication. Most notable is the reduced diversity of depsides and depsidones, the two largest groups of lichen substances, but dibenzofurans and fatty acids are also generally found in lichens sensitive to eutrophication. Conversely, anthraquinones and pulvinic acids are found most frequently in lichens from nitrogen-rich environments that can result from eutrophication. A family-wide analysis of the datasets indicates that loss of chemical diversity is not due to a single species-rich lichen family, but a characteristic of many lichen families.

The diversity of lichens, especially crustose species, in continental Antarctica is still poorly known. To overcome difficulties with the morphology based species delimitations in these groups, we employed molecular data (nuclear ITS and mitochondrial SSU rDNA sequences) to test species boundaries within the genus Lecidea. Sampling was done along a north–south transect at five different areas in the Ross Sea region (Cape Hallett, Botany Bay to Mount Suess, Taylor Valley, Darwin Area and Mount Kyffin). A total of 153 specimens were collected from 13 localities. Phylogenetic analyses also include specimens from other regions in Antarctica and non-Antarctic areas. Maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood and Bayesian analyses agreed in placing the samples from continental Antarctica into four major groups. Based on this phylogenetic estimate, we restudied the micromorphology and secondary chemistry of these four clades to evaluate the use of these characters as phylogenetic discriminators. These clades are identified as the following species Lecidea cancriformis, L. andersonii as well as the new species L. polypycnidophora Ruprecht & Türk sp. nov. and another previously unnamed clade of uncertain status, referred to as Lecidea sp. (L. UCR1).

The phylogeny of the Micarea prasina group was investigated using mitochondrial small subunit ribosomal DNA sequences from 14 taxa representing this group, four other members of the genus Micarea, and Psilolechia lucida as an outgroup. A total of 31 new mtSSU rDNA sequences were generated, including 10 from the M. micrococca complex. Bayesian, maximum parsimony (MP) and maximum likelihood (ML) methods were used to analyse the data. The results show that M. micrococca is not monophyletic and forms three strongly supported lineages: 1) M. micrococca s. str., 2) M. byssacea (Th. Fr.) Czarnota, Guzow-Krzemińska & Coppins comb. nov., and 3) a putative taxon that requires further studies. Micarea viridileprosa is a sister species to M. micrococca s. str. and the recently described M. nowakii is a sister species to M. prasina s. str. The placement of M. tomentosa within the M. prasina group is confirmed. Micarea hedlundii appears to be more closely related to the M. micrococca complex than M. prasina s. str. Descriptions, illustrations, taxonomic remarks, distribution and habitat data for M. micrococca s. str. and M. byssacea are provided. A lectotype for Biatora byssacea Hampe non Zwackh and a neotype for Catillaria prasina β [var.] byssacea are selected.

A first assessment of paralogy in non-reducing polyketide synthases of Parmeliaceae is presented. Primers which are specific to the keto-acyl synthase domain were used to amplify gene fragments of putative non-reducing polyketide synthases from various representatives of the family. The corresponding sequences were analysed together with a selection of known polyketide synthase genes from other fungi, including lichenized fungi. The results suggest that genes from Parmeliaceae represent at least 6 paralogs. Their different positions in the tree partly correlate with the variable presence of spliceosomal introns at particular positions in the gene fragments. Because only one paralog could be unambiguously detected in each species by direct sequencing of PCR products with this approach, we tested the applicability of clade-specific primers, designed by using orthologous signature sequences. With these primers more paralogs could be detected from the same DNA extract in a number of species, but certain paralogs were consistently not amplified in these species. The paralog-specific primer approach can potentially be used for a rapid screening of PKS genes from a broader range of lichen fungi.

Tropical marine ecosystems are characterized by a specific cyanobacterial flora, temperature most probably being the major factor limiting the geographic distribution of the species. When compared with the open ocean, the highest biodiversity of cyanobacteria is observed in the littoral zones where they form intertidal and infralittoral mats, live as endoliths in carbonate substrates or form symbiotic associations, especially with sponges and ascidians. Their diversity, which especially in the less accessible infralittoral is still largely unknown, is also a source of diverse bioactive compounds, some of which are important as herbivore deterrents. As photosynthetic organisms, cyanobacteria sensu lato (including Prochlorophyta) are important contributors to benthic and open ocean primary production, but their main role in the tropical marine ecosystems appears to be as nitrogen fixers. Of primary importance in the often oligotrophic tropical oceans is the non-heterocystous, planktonic bloom-forming Trichodesmium, which probably represents a major nitrogen source for the marine and global nitrogen cycle.

The incorporation of [35S]sulphur in thiophenes by Tagetes patula roots was used as a model to study the regulation of secondary metabolism with a limited supply of substrate. Growth and thiophene accumulation were measured in root cultures incubated at various sulphate concentrations in the medium. A 20-fold to 40-fold reduction in the sulphate concentration did not affect elongation growth, branching and biomass production within 14 d but decreased the thiophene level to 25–50% of the control in the same period. The reduction in thiophene content was found to result from a decline in biosynthetic capacity of 80–95% after 8 d. This capacity was restored when roots were transferred to standard medium. The restoration took more than 24 h and was suppressed by cordycepin, an inhibitor of mRNA processing. It is concluded that the rate of thiophene synthesis is regulated by a control mechanism that reacts to the availability of sulphate to the roots.