Compartment-Specific Metabolic Alterations to Insulin Reflect Adiposity-Driven Variation and Predict Type 2 Diabetes.

Context: The metabolic mechanisms underlying insulin resistance (IR) are not fully understood. Metabolomic profiling can reveal compartment-specific variations and identify individuals at risk for type 2 diabetes (T2D).

Objective: To characterize insulin-induced metabolomic changes during a hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp and evaluate a derived risk score's predictive value for T2D.

Northern peatland microbial communities exhibit resistance to warming and acquire electron acceptors from soil organic matter.

The response of microbial communities that regulate belowground carbon turnover to climate change drivers in peatlands is poorly understood. Here, we leverage a whole ecosystem warming experiment to elucidate the key processes of terminal carbon decomposition and community responses to temperature rise. Our dataset of 697 metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) represents the microbial community from the surface (10 cm) to 2 m deep into the peat column, with only 3.

Endoparasitoid wasps of the genus Cubus (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae, Metopiinae) reared from caterpillars of Área de Conservación Guanacaste, Costa Rica.

As a result of COI barcoding over 200 reared specimens of what appeared to be Cubus validus from northwestern Costa Rica, and matching them with their host caterpillars and morphological traits, we describe eleven new sympatric species. All are endoparasitoids of leaf-rolling Crambidae (Lepidoptera). The new species, authored by Zúñiga, Valerio & Hanson, are: Cubus alanflemingi, C.

Epigenome-wide association study for dilated cardiomyopathy in left ventricular heart tissue identifies putative gene sets associated with cardiac pathology and early indicators of cardiac risk.

Background: Methylation changes linked to dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) affect cardiac gene expression. We investigate DCM mechanisms regulated by CpG methylation using multi-omics and causal analyses in the largest cohort of left ventricular tissues available.

Methods: We mapped DNA methylation at ~ 850,000 CpG sites, performed array-based genotyping and conducted RNA sequencing on left ventricular tissue samples from failing and non-failing hearts across two independent DCM cohorts (discovery n = 329, replication n = 85).

Pollen metabarcoding reveals a broad diversity of plant sources available to farmland flower visitors near tropical montane forest.

Despite the widely recognized role of pollinators in ecosystem services, we currently have a poor understanding of the contribution of Natural Protected Areas neighboring agricultural landscapes to crop pollinator diversity and plant-pollinator interactions. Here, we conducted monthly surveys over a period of one year to study the diversity of insect visitors in dominant fruit crops-avocado, plum, apple, and blackberry-and used pollen DNA metabarcoding to characterize the community of plant sources in and around low-intensive farmland bordered by protected montane forest in Costa Rica. We found that crops and native plants had distinct communities of flower visitors, suggesting the presence of fine-scale habitat differences.

Cryptic diversity of Leurus wasps (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae: Metopiinae), parasitoids of caterpillars in Area de Conservación Guanacaste, Costa Rica.

As a consequence of COI barcoding hundreds of reared specimens of what appeared to be Leurus caeruliventris, a parasitoid of leaf-rolling Crambidae (Lepidoptera) from the Area de Conservación Guanacaste, northwestern Costa Rica, and matching them with their host caterpillars and morphological traits, we describe ten new sympatric species and redescribe L. caeruliventris. The new species, authored by Zuñiga & Valerio, are: Leurus billeberhardi, L.

Photosynthetic capacity in middle-aged larch and spruce acclimates independently to experimental warming and elevated CO.

Photosynthetic acclimation to both warming and elevated CO of boreal trees remains a key uncertainty in modelling the response of photosynthesis to future climates. We investigated the impact of increased growth temperature and elevated CO on photosynthetic capacity (V and J) in mature trees of two North American boreal conifers, tamarack and black spruce. We show that V and J at a standard temperature of 25°C did not change with warming, while V and J at their thermal optima (T) and growth temperature (T) increased.

Synthesis of Simplified 2-Desmethyl Sanctolide A Analogs.

A one-pot, sequential phosphate tether-mediated method for the synthesis of simplified 2-desmethyl sanctolide A analogs is reported. Western side-chain diversification was achieved using a pot-efficient, sequential cross metathesis (CM)/ring-closing metathesis (RCM)/H/dephosphorylation procedure. Further diversification was achieved by MeAl-mediated amide formation, Yamaguchi esterification, and RCM macrocyclization to access five C11/C12 -configured, 2-des-methyl sanctolide A analogs with improved stability.

Histological Observation of Helmet Development in the Treehopper (Insecta: Hemiptera: Membracidae).

The treehoppers (Hemiptera, Membracidae) are known for possessing a large three-dimensional structure called a helmet. Although some ecological functions of the helmet have already been elucidated, the developmental mechanisms underlying the complex and diverse morphology of the helmet are still largely unknown. The process of helmet formation was first described in , which possesses a simple roof-shaped helmet.

Responses of vascular plant fine roots and associated microbial communities to whole-ecosystem warming and elevated CO in northern peatlands.

Warming and elevated CO (eCO) are expected to facilitate vascular plant encroachment in peatlands. The rhizosphere, where microbial activity is fueled by root turnover and exudates, plays a crucial role in biogeochemical cycling, and will likely at least partially dictate the response of the belowground carbon cycle to climate changes. We leveraged the Spruce and Peatland Responses Under Changing Environments (SPRUCE) experiment, to explore the effects of a whole-ecosystem warming gradient (+0°C to 9°C) and eCO on vascular plant fine roots and their associated microbes.

Two new species of Epirhyssa (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae: Rhyssinae) from Costa Rica.

As a result of continuing research on the ichneumonid wasps of Costa Rica, two new species of Epirhyssa (Rhyssinae) are described: E. leonoreae and E. lewisi.

Using Knowledge-Guided Machine Learning To Assess Patterns of Areal Change in Waterbodies across the Contiguous United States.

Lake and reservoir surface areas are an important proxy for freshwater availability. Advancements in machine learning (ML) techniques and increased accessibility of remote sensing data products have enabled the analysis of waterbody surface area dynamics on broad spatial scales. However, interpreting the ML results remains a challenge.

Elevational and seasonal patterns of plant pollinator networks in two highland tropical ecosystems in Costa Rica.

Many plant species in high montane ecosystems rely on animal pollination for sexual reproduction, however, our understanding of plant-pollinator interactions in tropical montane habitats is still limited. We compared species diversity and composition of blooming plants and floral visitors, and the structure of plant-floral visitor networks between the Montane Forest and Paramo ecosystems in Costa Rica. We also studied the influence of seasonality on species composition and interaction structure.

Microbiome and plant cell transformation trigger insect gall induction in cassava.

Several specialised insects can manipulate normal plant development to induce a highly organised structure known as a gall, which represents one of the most complex interactions between insects and plants. Thus far, the mechanism for insect-induced plant galls has remained elusive. To study the induction mechanism of insect galls, we selected the gall induced by (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) in cassava (Euphorbiaceae: Crantz) as our model.

Climate warming and elevated CO alter peatland soil carbon sources and stability.

Peatlands are an important carbon (C) reservoir storing one-third of global soil organic carbon (SOC), but little is known about the fate of these C stocks under climate change. Here, we examine the impact of warming and elevated atmospheric CO concentration (eCO) on the molecular composition of SOC to infer SOC sources (microbe-, plant- and fire-derived) and stability in a boreal peatland. We show that while warming alone decreased plant- and microbe-derived SOC due to enhanced decomposition, warming combined with eCO increased plant-derived SOC compounds.

Elevated temperature alters microbial communities, but not decomposition rates, during 3 years of peat decomposition.

Microbial community changes in response to climate change drivers have the potential to alter the trajectory of important ecosystem functions. In this paper, we show that while microbial communities in peatland systems responded to manipulations of temperature and CO concentrations, these changes were not associated with similar responses in peat decomposition rates over 3 years. It is unclear however from our current studies whether this functional resiliency over 3 years will continue over the longer time scales relevant to peatland ecosystem functions.

Using long-term data from a whole ecosystem warming experiment to identify best spring and autumn phenology models.

Predicting vegetation phenology in response to changing environmental factors is key in understanding feedbacks between the biosphere and the climate system. Experimental approaches extending the temperature range beyond historic climate variability provide a unique opportunity to identify model structures that are best suited to predicting phenological changes under future climate scenarios. Here, we model spring and autumn phenological transition dates obtained from digital repeat photography in a boreal - bog in response to a gradient of whole ecosystem warming manipulations of up to +9°C, using five years of observational data.

Butterfly wing color made of pigmented liquid.

A previously undescribed mechanism underlying butterfly wing coloration patterns was discovered in two distantly related butterfly species, Siproeta stelenes and Philaethria diatonica. These butterflies have bright green wings, but the color pattern is not derived from solid pigments or nanostructures of the scales or from the color of the cuticular membrane but rather from a liquid retained in the wing membrane. Wing structure differs between the green and non-green areas.

Boreal conifers maintain carbon uptake with warming despite failure to track optimal temperatures.

Warming shifts the thermal optimum of net photosynthesis (T) to higher temperatures. However, our knowledge of this shift is mainly derived from seedlings grown in greenhouses under ambient atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO) conditions. It is unclear whether shifts in T of field-grown trees will keep pace with the temperatures predicted for the 21 century under elevated atmospheric CO concentrations.

A revision of the species-group (= Howard) (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae), gregarious endoparasitoids of whiteflies (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) in the Neotropical Region.

The genus Howard 1914 is synonymized with Förster, and treated as a species-group of , referred to henceforth as the species-group. The monophyly of is discussed in relation to . The new synonymy is based on phylogenetic analyses of the nuclear ribosomal 28S-D2 gene region (43 taxa, 510 bp).

Climate drivers alter nitrogen availability in surface peat and decouple N fixation from CH oxidation in the Sphagnum moss microbiome.

Peat mosses (Sphagnum spp.) are keystone species in boreal peatlands, where they dominate net primary productivity and facilitate the accumulation of carbon in thick peat deposits. Sphagnum mosses harbor a diverse assemblage of microbial partners, including N -fixing (diazotrophic) and CH -oxidizing (methanotrophic) taxa that support ecosystem function by regulating transformations of carbon and nitrogen.