Wheat (Triticum aestivum L., 1753) of the «Kalach-60» variety is one of the most stable and high-yielding zoned objects. A comprehensive study of the species composition of microorganisms was conducted using standard microbiological techniques. 120 samples of stems, leaves and soil collected during such phenological phases of plant development as tillering, stalking, grain filling and ripeness were examined. We isolated 18 strains of microorganisms that were assigned to 6 genera of fungi and bacterium (Aphanocladium, Alternaria, Fusarium, Bacillus, Listeria, Staphyloccocus,) and 15 species, of which 1 are gram–positive rods, 9 are gram–positive spore rods, 1 is gram–positive cocci and 3 species of fungi. Based on the data obtained, it can be concluded that in various phenological phases, the greatest contamination of the wheat plants of the « Kalach-60» variety is observed by such bacterial species as: Bacillus drentensis, B. horikoshii, B. psychrodurans, B. halodurans, B. okuhidensis, B. oleronius (with an occurrence index from 70 to 100 %). Fungi Aphanocladium album, Alternaria altenata, Fusarium oxysporum prevails at various phenological phases with an occurrence index from 70 to 100%.

Loche is an ancient landrace of squash from Northern Peru, notable for its vegetative reproduction and lack of seeds in fruits. Studies on this crop have been focused mainly on its nutritional properties and agronomic management. However, very little is known about its genetics. Here, we used 21 simple sequence repeats (SSRs) to assess the genetic diversity and population structure of a collection of 100 samples of loche from three localities in Peru, and 10 samples of related species, C. pepo and C. maxima (110 accessions in total). A total 85 bands were manually scored, obtaining an average of 4.05 alleles per locus. UPGMA clustering method was used to generate a dendrogram, and similar to the principal coordinate analysis (PCoA), it showed a clear identification between the three species of Cucurbita. Discriminant analysis of principal components (DAPC) clustered the 110 accessions into four populations: (i) two of loche, (ii) one of C. pepo, and (iii) one of C. maxima. Genetic diversity (i.e. expected heterozigosity) estimation was conducted considering only the two groups (populations) of loche identified by DAPC algorithm, which was 0.03 as an average. The standardized index of association was greater than zero demonstrating that loche is a clonal population. AMOVA revealed the greatest variation between populations (74.58%) and indicated that variability within populations is 25.42%. Vegetative propagation by means of stem cuttings and cultivation in a very restricted geographical area would explain the rather low diversity of loche. This in turn would suggest that the apparent variation observed in fruit shape may be explained by somatic mutation and/or environmental factors. Our next step is to employ NGS tools on this landrace to develop molecular tools that will promote its modern genetic improvement and sustainable management. However, further studies are needed for a more accurate evaluation of phenotypic traits of this precious crop.

Carrion is more than food for scavengers and decomposers, as many non-trophic ecological functions are associated with this resource. For instance, a growing body of research highlights the important role of carcasses in disease dynamics. However, how carrion may provide other materials such as hair, feathers, bones, and skin for purposes other than food (e.g., nest construction) is greatly unknown. Carcasses of carnivorous animals may represent an outstanding source of these materials, as such carcasses persist longer in ecosystems than herbivore carcasses. In this study, we aimed to characterize the hair-taking behaviour of vertebrate species at carnivore carcasses in south-eastern Spain. Between 2017 and 2021, we deployed c. 100 carcasses of five mammalian carnivore species (mainly red foxes Vulpes vulpes) in three Mediterranean study areas between January and May. We monitored their entire decomposition process by using motion-triggered cameras with video recording. We detected hair-taking behaviour by several bird and mammal species, especially the carrion crow Corvus corone, the common raven Corvus corax, the great tit Parus major, the coal tit Periparus ater and the garden dormouse Eliomys quercinus. Hair was taken from different parts of the carcasses, but mostly from the tail. The peaks for this hair-taking behaviour varied throughout the entire study according to the different visitor species, suggesting a relationship with their breeding phenology. Our findings confirm that carcasses from mammalian carnivores are a highly persistent source of hair that is frequently used by several vertebrate species, probably for nest building. This is an example of the fruitful research avenues that may arise from the non-trophic uses of carrion.

Invasive mammal species outside their natural range are causing damage to the native ecosystems. Raccoon dogs were first observed in Lithuania in 1948 and since then spread across the country. Surveys of this species stopped in 1997, therefore numbers and trends currently are unknown. Raccoons were first observed in 2012, with only a few sporadical reports over the decade. Both species are listed as an EU species of concern. Between September 2019 and July 2021 we evaluated distribution and densities of these animals using camera traps (system with a motion trigger/sensor that activates a camera to take a photograph when an animal is present) at 85 locations with a total sampling effort of 11501 camera trap days. Raccoon dog was identified in 57 locations (67.1 % of all surveyed) and raccoon 1 location (1.2 %). The average relative shooting frequency of raccoon dogs was 5.12 photos/100 days and that of raccoons was 0.18 photos/100 days. The abundance of raccoon dog was not uniform. In northeastern part of Lithuania their relative shooting frequency was significantly higher than in western part (6.26 and 2.31 photos/100 days, respectively; p < 0.05). Raccoons were present in only one location, however, during the study period they were registered 21 times. This indicates that a viable population has developed and it can become a source of further invasion in the nearest future, requiring immediate control actions. Research was funded by contract No. 05.5.1-APVA-V-018-01-0012.

Seagrass meadows are very productive ecosystems and many animal species are dependent of these meadows, including a wide diversity of invertebrates. This study aims to explore spatial diversity patterns of benthic invertebrates associated to Zostera noltei Hornemann, 1832 meadows. Three meadows (A, B, C) were sampled along the salinity gradient of Ria de Aveiro. At each meadow two sites were selected and four core were taken at each site. Fauna was sorted, counted and identified to the lowest taxonomical level. ANOVA tests showed significant differences of taxa number and abundance among meadows. Highest values of species and individuals were found in meadow A (31 taxa and 3342 individuals). Lowest values of individuals were found in B (970) and lowest values of taxa in B and C (20). PERMANOVA allowed to identify significant differences among meadows, being the meadow B similar to C and both distinct from A. Simper analyses showed the main taxa responsible of the differences. These taxa included annelids (Oligochaetes, Hediste diversicolor (O.F. Müller, 1776) and Notomastus latericeus Sars, 1851), molluscs (Peringia ulvae (Pennant, 1777) and Scrobicularia plana (da Costa, 1778)), crustaceans (Cyathura carinata (Krøyer, 1847)) and nematodes. It was also observed that some annelids as N. latericeus and oligochaete and the gastropod P. ulvae presented density gradient of abundance along the lagoon from the inner side to the outer.

Acknowledgements: This research was developed under Project No. 029818, co-financed by COMPETE 2020, Portugal 2020 and the European Union through the ERDF, and by FCT through national funds.