The agricultural expansion and intensification of farming practices have deteriorated natural and agricultural ecosystems worldwide. Olive orchards cover the 1/4 of the agricultural land in Crete and about the 20% of the Cretan landscape, contributing largely to the island’s topography, economy and cultural heritage. The management of spontaneous vegetation with sustainable/agroecological practices can be an important measure to mitigate the adverse effects of intensive farming in olive orchards, providing several agroecosystem services. Vegetative soil cover and plant diversity are directly related to biodiversity conservation, soil fertility, water quality and quantity, pest management, landscape conservation, outdoor recreation, climate regulation and resilience to climate change. Plant diversity and the effect of management systems and agroecological zones were studied in six paired conventional and organic olive orchards in Crete. The orchards are located at two agroecological zones (hilly and plain). In each orchard, the floristic diversity was determined in 3/ha monitoring stations (64 m² area) for a 1-year period. The effects of management system and agroecological zone on floristic diversity were determined with biodiversity indices and univariate comparative analyses. In total, 270 species of plants were identified, including 50 edible species and 40 legumes, indicating the importance of spontaneous vegetation for the provision of agroecosystem services. The agroecological zone shapes the floristic diversity of olive orchards, especially in the wet period, with a higher diversity expected to be present in the hilly zone. Plant diversity did not present significant differences between organic and conventional orchards. The variety of farming practices and the intensity applied among the orchards are responsible for the above result. Further analysis of the effect of each farming practice on floristic diversity is needed to determine which practices are the most suitable for the improvement of olive orchards' environmental performance.

Maize (Zea mays ssp. mays) showed intraspecific variability in DNA content. This variation ranges from 40% to 58%, and negative correlations between genome size and cultivation altitude have been detected in Andean landraces from Northwest Argentina and Bolivia. These variations have been attributed to variability in the percentage of heterochromatin and the presence of B chromosomes. In order to investigate if variation in DNA content is also observed in landraces from the secondary center of the diversification of maize, genome size was estimated in nine Andean landraces from Cuzco and Abancay, Peru, which are cultivated between 2450 m.a.s.l. and 3483 m.a.s.l. Inter- and intraracial variations in DNA content were observed, although with a lower percentage of variation (13.21%) than that reported by other authors. The mean 2C value was 5.14 ± 0.42 pg, with a range from 4.54 ± 0.05 pg estimated in the landrace Kculli to 5.44 ± 0.14 pg found in the landrace Confite Morocho. No correlation between genome size and cultivation altitude was found. The fact that we observed much smaller genome size variation values than those previously reported, as well as the lack of correlation with cultivation altitude, could be due to the narrow altitudinal cline sampled. Future studies will be conducted expanding the altitudinal range. The variation in genome size found here will be discussed in reference to the variability in heterochromatin content and B chromosomes that these Peruvian landraces possess.

The genus Miliusa consists of about 60 species. So far, India has been home to twenty-three species and one variant of the genus. With 71 percent of the species being endemic, the genus is phytogeographically significant in the Western Ghats, making it more important from a conservation standpoint. These plants are utilized for their antibacterial, anticancer, anthelmintic, and antiparasitic properties, and also as pesticides. However, only a few species have been thoroughly investigated. The genus Miliusa includes a variety of secondary metabolites, according to a large body of evidence. Alkaloids, geranylated homogentisic acid, flavonoids, lignans, neolignans, terpenoids, acetogenins, styryls, lactones, phenolics, amides, alcohols, and furfural derivatives are some of the compounds found in these plants.

Endophytic fungi represent an important and quantifiable component of fungal biodiversity and affect plant community diversity.

The main objective of the current research was to study the biodiversity of endophytic fungi from the stem, leaves, and bark of Miliusa velutina var deviyarina.

Small parts of stems, leaves, and bark were crushed in order to expose endophytes and subculture them on potato dextrose agar and Sabouraud agar for one week at room temperature and further subculture them many times in order to obtain a pure culture.

Some dominant endophytic fungi like Aspergillus niger Tiegh., Colletotrichum siamense Prihast., and Diaporthe sp. were discovered by morphology and molecular identification.

Endophytic organisms isolated from this plant were found to secrete many useful enzymes, such as lipase, amylase, pectinase, asperginase, tannase, etc. Fungal colonies were grown on various media to check their enzymatic activity. This endophytic fungal biodiversity has the ability to produce natural and potentially bioactive compounds for different processes. These endophytic fungi have shown promising antimicrobial activity against certain groups of microorganisms, including Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria.

This research work highlights the significance of endophytic fungal biodiversity derived from medicinal plants as a source of innovative and bioactive chemicals.

Ilex paraguariensis A. St. Hil. is a perennial, dioecious tree native to southern South America. It has great socio-economic importance in the region due to its use for the preparation of 'mate' beverages. In this study, individuals from a remnant of subtropical forest held in the Campo Anexo Manuel Belgrano (CAMB, San Antonio, Misiones, Argentina) were genetically characterised. Leaves from 113 adult plants from 11 subpopulations were collected, covering a total area of 15.5 km², aiming to represent the potential variability within it. Subpopulations are, on average, 1.5 km apart from each other, and plants within each subpopulation are separated by at least 5 metres. Total genomic DNA was extracted using commercial kits, and six nuclear microsatellite loci were PCR-amplified under optimised conditions. Allele sizing was accomplished by automated fragment analysis and comparison with molecular weight standards. The frequency data matrix was analysed in GenAlEx. Genetic distances were obtained using Nei's index with the poppr library within the R environment; a Neighbour-Joining (NJ) network was generated using the ape library. The distribution of allelic variation showed 53 alleles (average: 8.83 alleles per locus). The average heterozygosity values were Ho = 0.541 and He = 0.604, Shannon's information index resulted in 1.303, on average, and the Fixation Index was 0.097. These values are comparable to those reported for natural populations from southeastern Brazil and 1.96 times higher than those recorded for Uruguayan populations, which represent the southernmost species distribution tail. There was no clustering of individuals according to the sampled subpopulation in the NJ network. The study results reveal intermediate genetic variability in CAMB wild 'yerba mate' plants, but this was similar to that reported for the 'yerba mate' centre of diversification.

Vigna vexillata (L.) A. Rich., known as tuber cowpea, Zombi pea, and wild cowpea, is a legume that thrives in diverse climates and shows resilience against bruchid and abiotic stress. V. vexillate is a close relative of the cultivated cowpea, and it is cultivated for its storage roots, protein-rich seeds, forage, and erosion control capabilities. It grows in both protected and partially disturbed habitats in hilly and sub-hilly regions of peninsular India and the Himalayas. The cryopreservation of pollen grains is a vital technique for conserving important alleles and making genetic resources readily available for breeding programs. This method overcomes the challenge of asynchronous flowering, facilitating the creation of hybrids with pest and disease resistance, high yield, and desirable qualities. To advance wide hybridization studies, pollen cryopreservation was evaluated across 12 accessions of V. vexillata. Fresh pollen viability was recorded between 85.72% and 93.56%. This study assessed pollen viability under different storage conditions (25, 4, -20, and -196 °C) and various durations (1, 3, 5, 7, 9, and 24 hours; 1, 2 weeks; and 1 month). Optimal long-term cryopreservation was achieved with a pollen moisture content of 10-12% following a 5-minute desiccation period in a laminar airflow chamber. A significant negative correlation was observed between pollen viability, storage duration, and temperature (25, 4, and -20 °C) across all accessions. Pollen stored at -196 °C demonstrated significantly higher viability, ranging from 81.14% to 93.07%, compared to other storage conditions. The established cryopreservation protocol successfully maintained pollen viability for up to one month and enabled effective pollination, fruit development, and seed set in crosses using cryopreserved pollen.

Introduction: Climate change plays a key role in shaping and changing the distribution patterns of plant species by reducing or expanding their geographical ranges. In particular, endemic species, with their localized populations and low dispersal rates, show higher vulnerability to environmental changes, and as a consequence, the potential distribution of these taxa is a critical step in conservation planning. In this regard, species distribution modelling (SDM) has become a key method in ecology and conservation biogeography to predict the distribution of a species across geographic space and time using environmental data. Here, the objective of our study was to predict the current and future spatial distributions of Colutea persica, which is an endemic species in the flora of Iran.

Methods: In this study, we developed a maximum entropy model (MaxEnt) to predict the present and future distributions of Colutea persica under two representative concentration pathways (RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5) for the 2050s and 2070s.

Results: The findings of our study showed that solar radiation, sand and silt content, and precipitation of the wettest month (BIO13) are important environmental variables influencing the potential distributions of this species. Moreover, our results confirmed that the performance of the prediction model with an AUC of at least 0.9 was excellent. The projected climate maps under optimistic and pessimistic scenarios (RCP2.6 and RCP8.5, respectively) of 2050 and 2070 resulted in negative range changes for this species in comparison to its current predicted distributions.

Conclusions: Our results highlight the need for designing and applying conservation planning, cultivation, and rehabilitation strategies for this target species.

Within shallow coastal areas, the waters of open ocean dissipative sandy beaches can be differentiated into the surf zone, where wave action generates turbulent conditions, and the subtidal zone, characterized by higher depth and calmer conditions. These differences in hydrodynamic conditions could provide specific habitats for fish populations. This study conducted at Monte Hermoso beach, Argentina (38°59’ S, 61°18’ W), analyzed the spatial–temporal variation in fish assemblage diversity in the surf zone (SZ) and the adjacent shallow subtidal zone (SSZ). Samples were simultaneously collected in both zones during low tide using a 10 mm (knot-to-knot) net, dragged for 300 m parallel to the shoreline. In the SZ, hand-towed trawls were conducted at a depth of 1.2 m, while in the SSZ, samples were collected at a depth of 5 m aboard a vessel at a constant speed of 4 km/h. Overall, 210 individuals belonging to 7 species were caught in the SZ and 1864 individuals belonging to 27 species in the SSZ. According to the graphical analyses based on the Olmstead–Tukey test (discriminant criterion = arithmetic means), Odontesthes argentinensis and Ramnogaster arcuata were dominant in the SZ, while R. arcuata, Cynoscion guatucupa, and Anchoa marinii dominated in the SSZ. Richness and Shannon and Simpson’s diversity, evaluated through Hill numbers, were higher in the SSZ during all seasons and showed no differences in winter. A high dissimilarity value was registered between the zones (β_sor = 0.64), and the nestedness component (β_nes = 0.50) was higher than the turnover (β_sim = 0.14). This study represents the first record of shallow subtidal fish assemblages in Argentina and reveals that the wave action in the SZnegatively affects the richness and abundance of the fish assemblage. However, certain species, such as R. arcuata, exhibit remarkable plasticity in adapting to both environments.

The Southwestern Austral Atlantic Ocean encompasses the southernmost tip of South America (the nearby shelf of Tierra del Fuego archipelago), the Burdwood Bank, the Malvinas / Falkland Islands, and their adjacent slope areas. Although it represents an area of great biological importance, knowledge on the marine biodiversity of this area is still limited. This is particularly noticeable in the case of cephalopod fauna species, many of which are only known from few (and occasional) records, and several nominal species have been mentioned without proper supporting information (photographs, vouchers, or similar). The aim of this research is to perform the first integrative study of the orders Octopoda and Sepiida of the Class Cephalopoda (Mollusca) occurring in the Southwestern Austral Atlantic, by combining morphological, morphometric, anatomical, and molecular characters. For that, newly obtained samples, collected between 2015 and 2018 by the Argentine research vessels GC-189 Prefecto García and BO Puerto Deseado, were studied. The specimens studied come from 37 sampling stations located between 53-55°S and 58-68°W in depths ranging from 40 to 785 m. Recently sampled cephalopods were photographed to document the coloration pattern of living specimens. Then, specimens were fixed for morphological, morphometric, and anatomical studies, which were performed in the laboratory; a small piece of tissue was preserved in ethanol for molecular studies (COI). For comparative purposes, the available type material of all nominal species described from this area was studied. As part of this study, eight cephalopod species were recognized, comprising two species of sepiolids and six species of octopods. Octopods belonged to the genera Enteroctopus, Muusoctopus, Graneledone, and Thaumeledone, and, among the studied material, a new (undescribed) species was recognized.

Evolutionary events are primarily caused by transitions to physically distinct environments, such as shifting from sea to land. Changes in niches and ecological successions cause many speciation events. Significant morphological, physiological, reproductive, and behavioral adaptations are features of these evolutionary pathways. Among the Decapods, crabs (Brachyura) are marine in origin, but they have successfully colonized most intertidal and terrestrial habitats, developing significant functional adaptations. Our study aims to evaluate functional adaptations in the gills of the crab Achelous hastatus (Brachyura, Portunidae). We retrieved samples of 20 specimens coming from the coast of the Strait of Messina (location Ganzirri), Messina, Italy (38°15′N 15°36′E). Histologically, an additional outer layer surrounding the gill lamellae, composed of muco-protein material and scattered cells, many of them haemocytes, can be noted. Using confocal microscopy, a strong reactivity of this layer to both Toll-like receptor 2 and Na+/K+ ATPase can be seen, suggesting that this layer is involved not only in the defense of the gills, which are in close contact with the external environment, but also in the exchange of ions to regulate salinity. These adaptations are consistent with the crab intertidal habitat, and similar adaptations have been found in the gills of brachiurians in mangrove forests in Brazil. Moreover, the presence of mucus may help in avoiding dehydration, and the reactivity to the antibodies tested suggests a reinforcement of the defense of the organism and ion regulation system. The data presented here provide new insights into the evolution and adaptations of marine organisms and contribute to our understanding of the internal defense and salt regulatory systems of this crab.

Long-term data on the phytoplankton of the Bulgarian Black Sea (BBS) coast describe three states for the ecosystem: a “pristine” reference phase (1954-1970 years); an intensive anthropogenic eutrophication (1970-1991 years) phase; and a post-eutrophication phase after the early 1990s of the 20^th century. The eutrophication period is characterised with ecosystem degradation and intense phytoplankton blooms, some of which are formed by the potentially toxic species Lingulodinium polyedra. This warm-water species is a red tide former that has been associated with fish and shellfish mortality events. In the 1980s, L. polyedra reached a highest biomass of 84.4 g.m^-3 in Varna Bay, BBS. The aim of this long-term study (1992-2022) was to provide a comprehensive overview of the development of L. polyedra in the phytoplankton biocoenosis in the Black Sea when under anthropogenic stress and during the ecosystem recovery. An analysis of the distribution of the dinoflagellate L. polyedra is based on a total of 5,126 phytoplankton samples collected for the period 1992-2022 under projects led by the Institute of Fish Resources, Varna. Samples was analyzed by standard methods validated for the Black Sea, and phytoplankton abundance and biomass were determined. The species are most abundant in summer in coastal marine areas exposed to anthropogenic influence. During the analysed period, decreases in the abundance and biomass of L. polyedra in Bulgarian Black Sea waters were observed. We established that the frequency of the occurrence of L. polyedra was higher in the first half of each decade of the period and was related to changes in hydrometeorological conditions in the Black Sea.