Diversity and Adaptations of Immature Diptera in Semiaquatic Habitats at Shorelines of Hypersaline Lakes in the Crimea,with a Brief Review of Diptera in Mineralized Bodies of Water

The order Diptera(Insecta)is one of animal groups most successful in the colonization of mineralized shallow aquatic and semiaquatic environments.At the same time,the taxonomic composition of Diptera,their role in

Diversity and bioactivity of cultured aquatic fungi from the High Arctic region

This study assessed the diversity and α-glycosidase inhibitory activity of cultured fungi isolated from four aquatic environments （stream, pond, glacial ice, and estuary） in the Ny-A.lesund region （Svalbard, Norway, High Arctic）. A total of 134 fungal isolates were obtained from 13 water samples. Based on morphological characteristics and sequence analyses of the nuclear ribosomal DNA internal transcribed spacer region, these fungal isolates were identified as belonging to 47 species, with 26 belonging to the Ascomycota, 20 to the Basidiomycota, and one to the Zygomycota. The most frequently detected fungal species were Vishniacozyma sp. 2, Cadophora sp. 2, Phenoliferia sp. 1, Dioszegia sp. 2, and Mortierella sp.; these species occurred in 10, eight, seven, six, and five of the samples, respectively. Among the 134 fungal isolates, 17 isolates of 15 species displayed high α-glycosidase inhibitory activity in culture. The results suggest that diverse and distinct populations of cultured fungi are present in Arctic aquatic environments, and they include taxa that are potential sources of bioactive molecules that may be used as prototype drugs for medicinal proposals.

Coupling interaction between biodiversity and aquatic habitat area in Western Route Project vicinity

The Western Route of the South-to-North Water Transfer Project will divert water from the upper Yangtze River and its tributaries, the Dadu River and Yalong River, to the upper Yellow River. The project may ease the water shortage in the Yellow River Basin. However, it may also have some effects on the ecosystem in the upper Yangtze River Basin. Benthic invertebrates play an important role in the river ecosystem, particularly in the circulation of materials and nutrition. Benthic invertebrates are widely used to quickly assess river ecosystems because of their rapid response to changes in the water environment. The diversity of benthic invertebrates is closely associated with the aquatic habitat area. This study examined this interaction by sampling the benthic invertebrates in an expanding area. The conclusions are that the diversity of benthic invertebrates begins to decrease when the aquatic habitat area is reduced to 45% of the original area, and decreases dramatically when the aquatic habitat area is reduced to 10% of the original area. The aquatic habitat area should be kept at more than 45% of the original area in order to maintain the significant diversity of benthic invertebrates.