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Topic Review
Salinity-Dependent Species Richness of Bacillariophyta in Hypersaline Environments
Hypersaline habitats are among the most polyextreme habitats on Earth, but they contain a rather large diatom species diversity. The diatom species’ richness was described on three scales: 1. a separate lake in Crimea; 2. all hypersaline waters in Crimea; and 3. the world totality as a whole. In total, 51 species were found in Lake Chersonesskoye during sampling from 2004 to 2018. In ten Crimean hypersaline lakes, 91 species were noted in total. All diatom species found in the studied hypersaline water bodies of the world belong to 458 species, which is 2.7% of the total number of known species of Bacillariophyta. In all three scales, the similarity of the species’ composition between water bodies as well as studied periods was not found. Most of all the identified species were found only in one of the studied water bodies, and only 59 species (13% of the total list) were found in more than three water bodies.
  • 227
  • 21 Jun 2023
Topic Review
Pseudoplatystoma Catfishes in the Neotropics
Species of the genus Pseudoplatystoma, the long-whiskered catfishes, are important in commercial and recreational fisheries in South America, and some species have become key to regional aquaculture. Some species of the genus are under pressure due to overfishing and the negative impacts of dams. 
  • 374
  • 14 Jun 2023
Topic Review
Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Farming in the Mediterranean
Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) is the most important tuna species in Mediterranean tuna fishery and a valuable commodity on the global fish market. Croatia is a pioneer in tuna farming in the Mediterranean and the only country that has the exclusive right to farm wild-caught juvenile tuna (8 to 30 kg).
  • 1.4K
  • 15 May 2023
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.
  • 301
  • 11 May 2023
Topic Review
Increased Crop Genetic Diversity in the Fields
Crop genetic diversity is the most important factor for a long-term sustainable production system. Breeding and production strategies for developing and growing uniform and homogenous varieties have created many problems. Such populations are static and very sensitive to unpredictable stresses.
  • 327
  • 09 May 2023
Topic Review
Pistachio Germplasm Propagation and Conservation
The word “pstk” [pistag], used in the ancient Persian language, is the linguistic root from which the current name “pistachio”, used worldwide, derives. The word pistachio is generally used to designate the plants and fruits of a single species: Pistacia vera L. Both the plant and its fruits have been used by mankind for thousands of years, specifically the consumption of its fruits by Neanderthals has been dated to about 300,000 years ago. Historically, Pistacia spp. germplasms were mainly conserved via conventional macropropagation techniques using in situ (in-site in their native place) habitats or even old orchards, and ex situ (off-site) where material is taken away from their native place to germplasm, botanic gardens, and so on. The strategy is to identify superior genotypes and transfer them to collections as well as to maintain them in the wild. Unconventional biological techniques, including cryopreservation (for the long-term), slow-growth storage conditions and synthetic seeds (for medium-term) and micropropagation (for short-term) have opened new insights for preservation of commercial and endangered Pistacia species. It should be noted that although pistachio species are not globally endangered, at least 12 species are currently included in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: P. cucphuongensis (VU, vulnerable), P. vera, P. aethiopica, P. mexicana, P. atlantica (NT, near threatened) and the rest are LN (least concern), so it has been imperative to apply preservation policies to these species.
  • 689
  • 09 Mar 2023
Topic Review
Eurasian Griffon Vulture
Among species of Gyps, the Eurasian griffon G. fulvus is the most widespread vulture across Europe, Asia and Africa, with a reproductive distribution extending from Kazakhstan and Nepal to southern Europe via the Caucasus. The species is now considered extinct as a breeding species in North Africa, where mainly records of nomadic juveniles or migratory overwintering adults are reported.
  • 329
  • 23 Feb 2023
Topic Review
Ecosystem Services Provided by Seaweeds
The ecosystem services can be divided using two major classification systems, the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MEA) and the Common International Classification of Ecosystem Services (CICES). In the MEA system, the ecosystem services are divided into four major service clusters: supporting, provisioning, regulating, and cultural. On the other hand, the CICES system regards the “MEA supporting services” as organism natural function (and not an ecosystem service). Thus, this function is the basis for all the three CICES ecosystem services (provisioning, regulating, and cultural) provided by one organism. These ecosystem services can be analyzed for the type of habitat, fauna or flora. Seaweeds, or marine macroalgae, are one of the key organisms in estuarine and seawater habitats ecosystems, which currently is of extreme importance due to the climate changes and the blue–green economy. Seaweeds and humankind have been interlinked from the beginning, mainly as a food source, fibers, biochemicals, natural medicine, ornamental resources, art inspiration, and esthetic values in several coastal communities. Moreover, currently they are being studied as green carbon, carbon sequestration, and as a possible source for the biomedical and pharmaceutical areas. 
  • 789
  • 18 Jan 2023
Topic Review
Diversity and Cold Resistance of Polar Arthropods
Arthropods—insects, arachnids, myriapods, and crustaceans—comprise the bulk diversity of species on Earth, with some taxa that have survived all five mass extinction events in evolutionary history (e.g., horseshoe crabs). Situated at opposite ends of the Earth, the polar regions (Arctic and Antarctic) are some of the most harsh, remote, and inhospitable habitats on the planet. All polar-dwelling arthropods are exposed to cold temperatures, often below the freezing point of their body fluids. Resident species, at least to some degree, have a variety of adaptations that allow them to tolerate these local conditions.
  • 338
  • 16 Jan 2023
Topic Review
Alternative System for Secondary Metabolite Production
Medicinal plants are rich sources of bioactive compounds widely used as medicaments, food additives, perfumes, and agrochemicals. These secondary compounds are produced under stress conditions to carry out physiological tasks in plants. Secondary metabolites have a complex chemical structure with pharmacological properties. The widespread use of these metabolites in a lot of industrial sectors has raised the need to increase the production of secondary metabolites. Biotechnological methods of cell culture allow the conservation of plants, as well as the improvement of metabolite biosynthesis and the possibility to modify the synthesis pathways.
  • 484
  • 11 Jan 2023
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