Topic Review
Financing Open-Source Organic Plant Breeding
Organic seed is vital for organic agriculture. However, lack of financial resources constrains organic plant breeding. Using an open-source approach that recognises seed as a common good offers new funding strategies.
  • 365
  • 30 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Fungi in Freshwaters
Deprivation of protection for aquatic hyphomycetes is disturbing because they are key players in freshwater ecosystems across the globe. The knowledge of biodiversity of aquatic hyphomycetes and freshwater ecosystems were enriched. 
  • 195
  • 21 Jul 2023
Topic Review
Fungi in Seed Germplasm Collections
Seeds can harbor a wide range of microorganisms, especially fungi, which can cause different sanitary problems. Seed quality and seed longevity may be drastically reduced by fungi that invade seeds before or after harvest. Seed movement can be a pathway for the spread of diseases into new areas. Some seed-associated fungi can also produce mycotoxins that may cause serious negative effects on humans, animals and the seeds themselves. Seed storage is the most efficient and widely used method for conserving plant genetic resources. The seed storage conditions used in gene banks, low temperature and low seed moisture content, increase seed longevity and are usually favorable for the survival of seed-borne mycoflora. Early detection and identification of seed fungi are essential activities to conserve high-quality seeds and to prevent pathogen dissemination.
  • 859
  • 06 Dec 2022
Topic Review
Genetic Variations in Fruit Trees
Fruit trees provide essential nutrients to humans by contributing to major agricultural outputs and economic growth globally. However, major constraints to sustainable agricultural productivity are the uncontrolled proliferation of the population, and biotic and abiotic stresses. Tree mutation breeding has been substantially improved using different physical and chemical mutagens.
  • 922
  • 24 May 2022
Topic Review
Herbaceous Peonies
Herbaceous peonies are species with high ornamental, edible, medicinal, economic, and ecological values. Apart from their valuable roots and flowers, which contain various biologically active substances, their seeds also attract the attention of scientists.
  • 492
  • 13 Jul 2022
Topic Review
Herpesvirus Infection in Strix Owls
The herpesvirus partial DNA polymerase gene was detected using polymerase chain reaction in oropharyngeal swabs of 16 out of 170 owls examined that were captured in or near nest boxes. Herpesvirus was detected in Ural owls (Strix uralensis), in both adults and young, but not in tawny owls (Strix aluco). In yellow-necked mice (Apodemus flavicollis), as the main prey of tawny owls and Ural owls in the area, herpesvirus was detected in the organs of 2 out of 40 mice captured at the same locations as the owls. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the herpesvirus sequences detected in the Ural owls differed from the herpesvirus sequences detected in the yellow-necked mice. The results indicate that herpesvirus infection exists in the breeding wild Ural owl population. However, herpesvirus-infected owls did not show any clinical or productivity deviances and, based on a phylogenetic comparison of detected herpesvirus sequences and sequences obtained from Genbank database, it seems that mice and other rodents are not the source of owl infections. The most probable transmission pathway is intraspecific, especially from adults to their chicks, but the origin of herpesvirus in owls remains to be investigated.
  • 794
  • 22 Sep 2021
Topic Review
Herpetofauna of the Insular Systems of Mexico
The herpetofauna of the insular systems of Mexico is composed of 226 species, of which 14 are anurans, two are salamanders, and 210 are reptiles, comprised of two crocodilians, 195 squamates, and 13 turtles. Although the surface of the Mexican islands is only 0.26% of the Mexican territorial extension, these 226 species constitute 16.1% of Mexico’s documented herpetofauna of 1405 species. 
  • 202
  • 22 Aug 2023
Topic Review
Host–Parasitoid Phenology under Climate Change
Climate change raises a serious threat to global entomofauna—the foundation of many ecosystems—by threatening species preservation and the ecosystem services they provide.
  • 241
  • 05 Dec 2023
Topic Review
Human Communities in Protected Natural Areas
The mission of natural heritage conservation through different modalities has its main instrument in the creation and management of protected natural areas (PNAs) based on a conservation culture of natural ecosystems and sustainable development. Protected areas are well received throughout the world as environmental policy tools characterized by the preservation and protection of diverse ecosystems, where the original environment has not been essentially altered, producing a series of increasingly valued environmental services.
  • 754
  • 08 Jun 2022
Topic Review
Impacts of Exotic Pests on Forest Ecosystems
Pests (e.g., insects, pathogens) affect forest communities through complex interactions with plants, other animals, and the environment. While the effects of exotic (non-native) pests on trees received broad attention and were extensively studied, fewer studies addressed the ecosystem-level consequences of these effects. Related studies so far mostly only targeted a very few dominant pests (e.g., hemlock woolly adelgid—HWA, beech bark disease—BBD, and spongy moth—SM) and were limited to aspects of the complex situation such as (1) pests’ direct physical disturbance to forest ecosystems, (2) altered geochemical elements of soils, water, and air (e.g., excretion), and (3) feedback effects from the alteration of ecosystems on plants, native insects, and present and future pest invasions. New studies also show that, in general, planted forests appear to be more prone to exotic pest invasions and thus suffer greater impacts than natural forests. Integrated studies are critically needed in the future to address (1) direct/indirect interactions of pests with ecosystem elements, (2) both short- and long-term effects, and (3) feedback effects. The implications of the new findings and corresponding management strategies are discussed.
  • 308
  • 11 May 2023
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