More Like this

1. A pangenome analysis reveals the center of origin and evolutionary history of Phytophthora infestans and 1c clade species

   https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0314509  

   Coomber, Allison L; Saville, Amanda C; Carbone, Ignazio; Martin, Michael; Bieker, Vanessa C; Ristaino, Jean Beagle (January 2025, PLOS ONE)

   Blair, Jaime E (Ed.)

   We examined the evolutionary history ofPhytophthora infestansand its close relatives in the 1c clade. We used whole genome sequence data from 69 isolates ofPhytophthoraspecies in the 1c clade and conducted a range of genomic analyses including nucleotide diversity evaluation, maximum likelihood trees, network assessment, time to most recent common ancestor and migration analysis. We consistently identified distinct and later divergence of the two MexicanPhytophthoraspecies,P.mirabilisandP.ipomoeae, fromP.infestansand other 1c clade species.Phytophthora infestansexhibited more recent divergence from other 1c clade species ofPhytophthorafrom South America,P.andinaandP.betacei. Speciation in the 1c clade and evolution ofP.infestansoccurred in the Andes.P.andina–P.betacei–P.infestansformed a species complex with indistinct species boundaries, hybridizations between the species, and short times to common ancestry. Furthermore, the distinction between modern Mexican and South AmericanP.infestansproved less discrete, suggesting gene flow between populations over time. Admixture analysis indicated a complex relationship among these populations, hinting at potential gene flow across these regions. HistoricP.infestans, collected from 1845–1889, were the first to diverge from all otherP.infestanspopulations. Modern South American populations diverged next followed by Mexican populations which showed later ancestry. Both populations were derived from historicP.infestans. Based on the time of divergence ofP.infestansfrom its closest relatives,P.andinaandP.betaceiin the Andean region, we consider the Andes to be the center of origin ofP.infestans, with modern globalization contributing to admixture betweenP.infestanspopulations today from Mexico, the Andes and Europe. 

   more » « less
2. Spatial epidemiology of Tabanus (Diptera: Tabanidae) vectors of Trypanosoma

   https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-025-06708-z  

   Marques, Roberta; Jiménez-García, Daniel; Escobar, Luis E; Krolow, Tiago Kütter; Krüger, Rodrigo Ferreira (December 2025, Parasites & Vectors)

   Abstract BackgroundTrypanosomaare protozoa parasites that infect animals and can cause economic losses in cattle production.Trypanosomalive in the blood and are transmitted by hematophagous insects, such as flies in the genusTabanus.Using ecological niche models, we explored the current geography of six commonTabanusspecies in Brazil, which are considered vectors ofTrypanosoma vivaxandTr. evansiin the Neotropics. MethodsWe used georeferenced data and biotic and abiotic variables integrated using a fundamental ecological niche modeling approach. Modeling results from sixTabanusspecies were used to identify risk areas ofTrypanosomatransmission in Latin America accounting for area predicted, landscape conditions, and density of livestock. We performed Jaccard, Schoener, and Hellinger metrics to indicate the ecological niche similarities of pairs ofTabanusspecies to identify known and likely vectors overlapping in distribution across geographies. ResultsOur results revealed significant ecological niche similarities for twoTabanusspecies (T. pungensandT. sorbillans), whereasT. triangulumandT. importunushave low ecological similarity. Ecological niche models predicted risk ofTrypanosomatransmission across Neotropical countries, with the highest risk in southern South America, Venezuela, and central Mexico. ConclusionsMore than 1.6 billion cattle and 38 million horses are under a threat category for infection risk. Furthermore, we identified specific areas and livestock populations at high risk of trypanosomiasis in Latin America. This study reveals the areas, landscapes, and populations at risk ofTrypanosomainfections in livestock in the Americas. Graphical Abstract 

   more » « less
3. Statistics of Energy in Isothermal Supersonic Turbulence

   https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ad5008  

   Rabatin, Branislav; Collins, David_C (July 2024, The Astrophysical Journal)

   Abstract Supersonic isothermal turbulence is a common process in astrophysical systems. In this work, we explore the energy in such systems. We show that the conserved energy is the sum of the kinetic energy (K) and Helmholtz free energy (F). We develop analytic predictions for the probability distributions,P(F) andP(K), as well as their nontrivial joint distribution,P(F,K). We verify these predictions with a suite of driven turbulence simulations, finding excellent agreement. The turbulence simulations were performed at Mach numbers ranging from 1 to 8, and three modes of driving: purely solenoidal, purely compressive, and mixed. We find thatP(F) is discontinuous atF= 0, with the discontinuity increasing with Mach number and compressive driving.P(K) resembles a lognormal with a negative skew. The joint distribution,P(F,K), shows a bimodal distribution, with gas either existing at highFand highKor at lowFand lowK. 

   more » « less
4. Quantum critical phase of FeO spans conditions of Earth’s lower mantle

   https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-47489-w  

   Ho, Wai-Ga D; Zhang, Peng; Haule, Kristjan; Jackson, Jennifer M; Dobrosavljević, Vladimir; Dobrosavljevic, Vasilije V (December 2024, Nature Communications)

   Abstract Seismic and mineralogical studies have suggested regions at Earth’s core-mantle boundary may be highly enriched in FeO, reported to exhibit metallic behavior at extreme pressure-temperature (P–T) conditions. However, underlying electronic processes in FeO remain poorly understood. Here we explore the electronic structure ofB1-FeO at extreme conditions with large-scale theoretical modeling using state-of-the-art embedded dynamical mean field theory (eDMFT). Fine sampling of the phase diagram reveals that, instead of sharp metallization, compression of FeO at high temperatures induces a gradual orbitally selective insulator-metal transition. Specifically, atP–Tconditions of the lower mantle, FeO exists in an intermediate quantum critical state, characteristic of strongly correlated electronic matter. Transport in this regime, distinct from insulating or metallic behavior, is marked by incoherent diffusion of electrons in the conductingt_2gorbital and a band gap in thee_gorbital, resulting in moderate electrical conductivity (~10⁵S/m) with modestP–Tdependence as observed in experiments. Enrichment of solid FeO can thus provide a unifying explanation for independent observations of low seismic velocities and elevated electrical conductivities in heterogeneities at Earth’s mantle base. 

   more » « less
5. Impacts of ocean acidification on the palatability of two Antarctic macroalgae and the consumption of a grazer

   https://doi.org/10.1017/S095410202400052X  

   Oswalt, Hannah E; Amsler, Margaret O; Amsler, Charles D; McClintock, James B; Schram, Julie B (June 2025, Antarctic Science)

   Abstract Increases in atmospheric CO₂have led to more CO₂entering the world’s oceans, decreasing the pH in a process called ’ocean acidification’. Low pH has been linked to impacts on macroalgal growth and stress, which can alter palatability to herbivores. Two common and ecologically important macroalgal species from the western Antarctic Peninsula, the unpalatableDesmarestia menziesiiand the palatablePalmaria decipiens, were maintained under three pH treatments: ambient (pH 8.1), near future (7.7) and distant future (7.3) for 52 days and 18 days, respectively. Discs ofP. decipiensor artificial foods containing extracts ofD. menziesiifrom each treatment were presented to the amphipodGondogeneia antarcticain feeding choice experiments. Additionally,G. antarcticaexposed to the different treatments for 55 days were used in a feeding assay with untreatedP. decipiens. ForD. menziesii, extracts from the ambient treatment were eaten significantly more by weight than the other treatments. Similarly,P. decipiensdiscs from the ambient and pH 7.7 treatments were eaten more than those from the pH 7.3 treatment. There was no significant difference in the consumption by treatedG. antarctica. These results suggest that ocean acidification may decrease the palatability of these macroalgae to consumers but not alter consumption byG. antarctica. 

   more » « less