The neglect of nonnative orthopterans as potential invaders:A call for awareness

Despite the potential ecological and economic impacts of invasive species,there is a dearth of data on the presence,impacts,and management implications of potentially invasive Orthoptera species.This lack of research and inconsistent data,including risk screenings and impact assessments,is especially evident in Europe.Consequently,assessing the status,distribution,and potential threats of nonnative Orthoptera in Europe remains challenging,impeding the development of effective management strategies.To address this gap,we call for increased efforts to collect and curate data on non-native and possibly invasive Orthoptera in Europe.Such efforts will improve our understanding of this order’s invasion dynamics,facilitate the identification of priority areas for conservation,and support the development of effective management policies and preventive measures.

Global warming scenarios for the Eastern Adriatic Sea indicate a higher risk of invasiveness of non-native marine organisms relative to current climate conditions

Globally,marine bioinvasions threaten marine ecosystem structure and function,with the Mediterranean Sea being one of the most affected regions.Such invasions are expected to increase due to climate change.We conducted a risk screening of marine organisms(37 fishes,38 invertebrates,and 9 plants),both extant and‘horizon’(i.e.,not present in the area but likely to enter it).Based on expert knowledge for the Eastern Adriatic Sea coasts of Slovenia,Croatia,and Montenegro,screenings were conducted under both current and predicted climate conditions indicating with an increase in sea surface temperature and salinity of the Adriatic Sea together with changes in precipitation regime.Our aims were to:(1)identify non-native extant and horizon marine species that may pose threats to native biodiversity and(2)evaluate the risk of invasiveness of the selected species under current and predicted climate conditions.Of the 84 species screened,there was an increase in those ranked as‘high risk’from 33(39.3%)under current climate conditions and to 47(56.0%)under global warming scenarios.For those ranked as‘very high’risk,the increase was from 6(7.1%)to 21(25.0%).Amongst the screened species,the already established high-risk species Pacific oyster Magallana gigas and Atlantic blue crab Callinectes sapidus represent a threat to ecosystem services.Given the under-representation of marine species in the current European Union List,the species we have ranked as high to very high risk should be included.

Molecular Mechanisms of Spawning Habits for the Adaptive Radiation of Endemic East Asian Cyprinid Fishes

Despite the widespread recognition of adaptive radiation as a driver of speciation,the mechanisms by which natural selection generates new species are incompletely understood.The evolutionary radiation of endemic East Asian cyprinids has been proposed as evolving through a change in spawning habits,involving a transition from semibuoyant eggs to adhesive eggs in response to crosslinked river-lake system formation.Here,we investigated the molecular mechanisms that underpin this radiation,associated with egg hydration and adhesiveness.We demonstrated that semibuoyant eggs enhance hydration by increasing the degradation of yolk protein and accumulation of Ca2+and Mga+ions,while adhesive eggs improve adhesiveness and hardness of the egg envelope by producing an adhesive layer and a unique 4th layer to the egg envelope.Based on multiomics analyses and verification tests,we showed that during the process of adaptive radiation,adhesive eggs downregulated the"vitellogenin degradation pathway","zinc metalloprotease pathway,"and"ubiquitin-proteasome pathway"and the pathways of Ca^(2+)and Mg^(2+)active transport to reduce their hydration.At the same time,adhesive eggs upregulated the crosslinks of microfilament-associated proteins and adhesive-related proteins,the hardening-related proteins of the egg envelope,and the biosynthesis of glycosaminoglycan in the ovary to generate adhesiveness.These findings illustrate the novel molecular mechanisms associated with hydration and adhesiveness of freshwater fish eggs and identify critical molecular mechanisms involved in the adaptive radiation of endemic East Asian cyprinids.We propose that these key egg attributes may function as“magic traits”in this adaptive radiation.