PeerJ
type: channel
link: https://peerj.com/articles/
description: Articles published in PeerJ
publisher: PeerJ Inc.
publication name: PeerJ
issn: 2167-8359
items: Checklist to the Elatostema (Urticaceae) of Vietnam including 19 new records, ten new combinations, two new names and four new synonyms
items: Forest floor temperature and greenness link significantly to canopy attributes in South Africa’s fragmented coastal forests
items: Native bluegill influence the foraging and aggressive behavior of invasive mosquitofish
items: Different ecological processes determined the alpha and beta components of taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic diversity for plant communities in dryland regions of Northwest China
items: Aridity and land use negatively influence a dominant species' upper critical thermal limits
items: MicroRNA-705 regulates the differentiation of mouse mandible bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells
items: Influence of substrate types and morphological traits on movement behavior in a toad and newt species
items: Amelioration of drought effects in wheat and cucumber by the combined application of super absorbent polymer and potential biofertilizer
items: Post-mortem detection of six human herpesviruses (HSV-1, HSV-2, VZV, EBV, CMV, HHV-6) in trigeminal and facial nerve ganglia by PCR
items: The gut microbiome correlates with conspecific aggression in a small population of rescued dogs (Canis familiaris)

Checklist to the Elatostema (Urticaceae) of Vietnam including 19 new records, ten new combinations, two new names and four new synonyms
type: item
type: AcademicArticle
description: Elatostema (Urticaceae) comprises several hundred herbaceous species distributed in tropical and subtropical Africa, Asia, Australia and Oceania. The greatest species richness occurs on limestone karst in Southeast Asia. Taxonomic revisions of Elatostema are largely out of date and contradict each other with respect to the delimitation of Elatostema and Pellionia. Most herbaria in SE Asia and worldwide contain significant amounts of unidentified material. As part of a broader revision of Elatostema in SE Asia, we present an updated checklist for Vietnam based on field visits, a review of specimens in herbaria worldwide, a review of type material and nomenclature. We recognize 77 taxa (75 species and two infraspecific taxa) of Elatostema in Vietnam, 23 of which were previously ascribed to Pellionia. Nineteen of these are new records for the country, i.e., E. attenuatoides, E. austrosinense, E. backeri, E. brunneinerve, E. crassiusculum, E. crenatum, E. fengshanense, E. glochidioides, E. malacotrichum, E. nanchuanense, E. oblongifolium, E. obtusum, E. oppositum, E. pergameneum, E. prunifolium, E. pseudolongipes, E. pycnodontum, E. salvinioides and E. xichouense. We place E. baviensis in synonymy of E. platyphyllum, E. colaniae in synonymy of E. myrtillus, P. macroceras in synonymy of E. hookerianum, and P. tetramera in synonymy of E. dissectum for the first time. Fourteen taxa (18% of all the recognized taxa) are endemic to Vietnam, which makes Elatostema one of the richest genera for endemic species in this country; this level of endemism is comparable to levels observed in Orchidaceae. Our checklist suggests that the highest diversity and endemism of Elatostema occurs in northern Vietnam, and that there is the greatest floristic similarity of northern Vietnam to SW China. The relationship among floristic regions is also investigated. We could find no records of Elatostema for 33 out of 63 provincial units of Vietnam, including all the southernmost provinces. We prop…
format: application/pdf
format: text/html
creator: Long-Fei Fu
creator: Alex Monro
creator: Truong Van Do
creator: Maxim S. Nuraliev
creator: Leonid V. Averyanov
creator: Fang Wen
creator: Zi-Bing Xin
creator: Tatiana V. Maisak
creator: Andrey N. Kuznetsov
creator: Svetlana P. Kuznetsova
creator: Khang Sinh Nguyen
creator: Yi-Gang Wei
subject: Plant Science
subject: Taxonomy
description: doi:10.7717/peerj.6188
publisher: PeerJ Inc.
rights: © 2019 Fu et al.
abstract: Elatostema (Urticaceae) comprises several hundred herbaceous species distributed in tropical and subtropical Africa, Asia, Australia and Oceania. The greatest species richness occurs on limestone karst in Southeast Asia. Taxonomic revisions of Elatostema are largely out of date and contradict each other with respect to the delimitation of Elatostema and Pellionia. Most herbaria in SE Asia and worldwide contain significant amounts of unidentified material. As part of a broader revision of Elatostema in SE Asia, we present an updated checklist for Vietnam based on field visits, a review of specimens in herbaria worldwide, a review of type material and nomenclature. We recognize 77 taxa (75 species and two infraspecific taxa) of Elatostema in Vietnam, 23 of which were previously ascribed to Pellionia. Nineteen of these are new records for the country, i.e., E. attenuatoides, E. austrosinense, E. backeri, E. brunneinerve, E. crassiusculum, E. crenatum, E. fengshanense, E. glochidioides, E. malacotrichum, E. nanchuanense, E. oblongifolium, E. obtusum, E. oppositum, E. pergameneum, E. prunifolium, E. pseudolongipes, E. pycnodontum, E. salvinioides and E. xichouense. We place E. baviensis in synonymy of E. platyphyllum, E. colaniae in synonymy of E. myrtillus, P. macroceras in synonymy of E. hookerianum, and P. tetramera in synonymy of E. dissectum for the first time. Fourteen taxa (18% of all the recognized taxa) are endemic to Vietnam, which makes Elatostema one of the richest genera for endemic species in this country; this level of endemism is comparable to levels observed in Orchidaceae. Our checklist suggests that the highest diversity and endemism of Elatostema occurs in northern Vietnam, and that there is the greatest floristic similarity of northern Vietnam to SW China. The relationship among floristic regions is also investigated. We could find no records of Elatostema for 33 out of 63 provincial units of Vietnam, including all the southernmost provinces. We prop…
bibliographic citation: Fu et al. (2019) Checklist to the Elatostema (Urticaceae) of Vietnam including 19 new records, ten new combinations, two new names and four new synonyms. PeerJ 7:e6188 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.6188
date submitted: 2018-08-31
date accepted: 2018-11-30
issued: 2019-01-10
is part of: PeerJ
license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
author list: Agent
  family name: Fu
  given name: Long-Fei
author list: Agent
  family name: Monro
  given name: Alex
author list: Agent
  family name: Do
  given name: Truong Van
author list: Agent
  family name: Nuraliev
  given name: Maxim S.
author list: Agent
  family name: Averyanov
  given name: Leonid V.
author list: Agent
  family name: Wen
  given name: Fang
author list: Agent
  family name: Xin
  given name: Zi-Bing
author list: Agent
  family name: Maisak
  given name: Tatiana V.
author list: Agent
  family name: Kuznetsov
  given name: Andrey N.
author list: Agent
  family name: Kuznetsova
  given name: Svetlana P.
author list: Agent
  family name: Nguyen
  given name: Khang Sinh
author list: Agent
  family name: Wei
  given name: Yi-Gang
doi: 10.7717/peerj.6188
volume: 7
issn: 2167-8359
publication name: PeerJ
publication date: 2019-01-10
copyright: ©2019 Fu et al.
attribution name: Fu et al.

Forest floor temperature and greenness link significantly to canopy attributes in South Africa’s fragmented coastal forests
type: item
type: AcademicArticle
description: Tropical landscapes are changing rapidly due to changes in land use and land management. Being able to predict and monitor land use change impacts on species for conservation or food security concerns requires the use of habitat quality metrics, that are consistent, can be mapped using above-ground sensor data and are relevant for species performance. Here, we focus on ground surface temperature (Thermalground) and ground vegetation greenness (NDVIdown) as potentially suitable metrics of habitat quality. Both have been linked to species demography and community structure in the literature. We test whether they can be measured consistently from the ground and whether they can be up-scaled indirectly using canopy structure maps (Leaf Area Index, LAI, and Fractional vegetation cover, FCover) developed from Landsat remote sensing data. We measured Thermalground and NDVIdown across habitats differing in tree cover (natural grassland to forest edges to forests and tree plantations) in the human-modified coastal forested landscapes of Kwa-Zulua Natal, South Africa. We show that both metrics decline significantly with increasing canopy closure and leaf area, implying a potential pathway for upscaling both metrics using canopy structure maps derived using earth observation. Specifically, our findings suggest that opening forest canopies by 20% or decreasing forest canopy LAI by one unit would result in increases of Thermalground by 1.2 °C across the range of observations studied. NDVIdown appears to decline by 0.1 in response to an increase in canopy LAI by 1 unit and declines nonlinearly with canopy closure. Accounting for micro-scale variation in temperature and resources is seen as essential to improve biodiversity impact predictions. Our study suggests that mapping ground surface temperature and ground vegetation greenness utilising remotely sensed canopy cover maps could provide a useful tool for mapping habitat quality metrics that matter to species. However, this appr…
format: application/pdf
format: text/html
creator: Marion Pfeifer
creator: Michael J.W. Boyle
creator: Stuart Dunning
creator: Pieter I. Olivier
subject: Ecosystem Science
subject: Climate Change Biology
subject: Forestry
subject: Spatial and Geographic Information Science
description: doi:10.7717/peerj.6190
publisher: PeerJ Inc.
rights: © 2019 Pfeifer et al.
abstract: Tropical landscapes are changing rapidly due to changes in land use and land management. Being able to predict and monitor land use change impacts on species for conservation or food security concerns requires the use of habitat quality metrics, that are consistent, can be mapped using above-ground sensor data and are relevant for species performance. Here, we focus on ground surface temperature (Thermalground) and ground vegetation greenness (NDVIdown) as potentially suitable metrics of habitat quality. Both have been linked to species demography and community structure in the literature. We test whether they can be measured consistently from the ground and whether they can be up-scaled indirectly using canopy structure maps (Leaf Area Index, LAI, and Fractional vegetation cover, FCover) developed from Landsat remote sensing data. We measured Thermalground and NDVIdown across habitats differing in tree cover (natural grassland to forest edges to forests and tree plantations) in the human-modified coastal forested landscapes of Kwa-Zulua Natal, South Africa. We show that both metrics decline significantly with increasing canopy closure and leaf area, implying a potential pathway for upscaling both metrics using canopy structure maps derived using earth observation. Specifically, our findings suggest that opening forest canopies by 20% or decreasing forest canopy LAI by one unit would result in increases of Thermalground by 1.2 °C across the range of observations studied. NDVIdown appears to decline by 0.1 in response to an increase in canopy LAI by 1 unit and declines nonlinearly with canopy closure. Accounting for micro-scale variation in temperature and resources is seen as essential to improve biodiversity impact predictions. Our study suggests that mapping ground surface temperature and ground vegetation greenness utilising remotely sensed canopy cover maps could provide a useful tool for mapping habitat quality metrics that matter to species. However, this appr…
bibliographic citation: Pfeifer et al. (2019) Forest floor temperature and greenness link significantly to canopy attributes in South Africa’s fragmented coastal forests. PeerJ 7:e6190 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.6190
date submitted: 2018-08-30
date accepted: 2018-11-30
issued: 2019-01-10
is part of: PeerJ
license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
author list: Agent
  family name: Pfeifer
  given name: Marion
author list: Agent
  family name: Boyle
  given name: Michael J.W.
author list: Agent
  family name: Dunning
  given name: Stuart
author list: Agent
  family name: Olivier
  given name: Pieter I.
doi: 10.7717/peerj.6190
volume: 7
issn: 2167-8359
publication name: PeerJ
publication date: 2019-01-10
copyright: ©2019 Pfeifer et al.
attribution name: Pfeifer et al.

Native bluegill influence the foraging and aggressive behavior of invasive mosquitofish
type: item
type: AcademicArticle
description: Two fish species that are common invaders of aquatic ecosystems world-wide are Gambusia affinis and G. holbrooki, commonly known as mosquitofish. In North America, introduced G. affinis are thought to have contributed to the population decline of several native fish species. Sunfish (family Centrarchidae) naturally occur across much of North American, thus mosquitofish and sunfish are likely to come into contact and interact more frequently as mosquitofish spread. However, the nature of this interaction is not well known. We used a lab experiment to explore whether and how the aggressive and foraging behaviors of G. affinis might be influenced by a representative and ubiquitous native centrarchid (Lepomis macrochirus; bluegill sunfish), a species with juveniles that inhabit littoral habitats also preferred by mosquitofish. The experiment partnered an individual male or female mosquitofish (focal fish) with a juvenile bluegill, or a same- or opposite-sex conspecific, filmed these one-to-one interactions, and quantified foraging and aggressive actions for the focal mosquitofish. We found that juvenile bluegill affect foraging in male mosquitofish, resulting in lower percent of handling attempts and handling time in which the male consumed a food item. The presence of juvenile bluegill also led to a reduction in the number of aggressive acts by mosquitofish compared to aggression levels when focal mosquitofish were with conspecifics. In nature, when mosquitofish encounter juvenile bluegill in littoral habitats, our results suggest that the foraging and aggressive behaviors of mosquitofish will be modified, especially for males. This mechanism may influence the rate or geographic extent of the spread of mosquitofish into North American waterbodies.
format: application/pdf
format: text/html
creator: Jennifer H. Clemmer
creator: Jessica E. Rettig
subject: Animal Behavior
subject: Aquaculture, Fisheries and Fish Science
subject: Ecology
subject: Zoology
subject: Freshwater Biology
description: doi:10.7717/peerj.6203
publisher: PeerJ Inc.
rights: © 2019 Clemmer and Rettig
abstract: Two fish species that are common invaders of aquatic ecosystems world-wide are Gambusia affinis and G. holbrooki, commonly known as mosquitofish. In North America, introduced G. affinis are thought to have contributed to the population decline of several native fish species. Sunfish (family Centrarchidae) naturally occur across much of North American, thus mosquitofish and sunfish are likely to come into contact and interact more frequently as mosquitofish spread. However, the nature of this interaction is not well known. We used a lab experiment to explore whether and how the aggressive and foraging behaviors of G. affinis might be influenced by a representative and ubiquitous native centrarchid (Lepomis macrochirus; bluegill sunfish), a species with juveniles that inhabit littoral habitats also preferred by mosquitofish. The experiment partnered an individual male or female mosquitofish (focal fish) with a juvenile bluegill, or a same- or opposite-sex conspecific, filmed these one-to-one interactions, and quantified foraging and aggressive actions for the focal mosquitofish. We found that juvenile bluegill affect foraging in male mosquitofish, resulting in lower percent of handling attempts and handling time in which the male consumed a food item. The presence of juvenile bluegill also led to a reduction in the number of aggressive acts by mosquitofish compared to aggression levels when focal mosquitofish were with conspecifics. In nature, when mosquitofish encounter juvenile bluegill in littoral habitats, our results suggest that the foraging and aggressive behaviors of mosquitofish will be modified, especially for males. This mechanism may influence the rate or geographic extent of the spread of mosquitofish into North American waterbodies.
bibliographic citation: Clemmer et al. (2019) Native bluegill influence the foraging and aggressive behavior of invasive mosquitofish. PeerJ 7:e6203 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.6203
date submitted: 2018-09-14
date accepted: 2018-12-03
issued: 2019-01-10
is part of: PeerJ
license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
author list: Agent
  family name: Clemmer
  given name: Jennifer H.
author list: Agent
  family name: Rettig
  given name: Jessica E.
doi: 10.7717/peerj.6203
volume: 7
issn: 2167-8359
publication name: PeerJ
publication date: 2019-01-10
copyright: ©2019 Clemmer and Rettig
attribution name: Clemmer and Rettig

Different ecological processes determined the alpha and beta components of taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic diversity for plant communities in dryland regions of Northwest China
type: item
type: AcademicArticle
description: Drylands account for more than 30% of China’s terrestrial area, while the ecological drivers of taxonomic (TD), functional (FD) and phylogenetic (PD) diversity in dryland regions have not been explored simultaneously. Therefore, we selected 36 plots of desert and 32 plots of grassland (10 × 10 m) from a typical dryland region of northwest China. We calculated the alpha and beta components of TD, FD and PD for 68 dryland plant communities using Rao quadratic entropy index, which included 233 plant species. Redundancy analyses and variation partitioning analyses were used to explore the relative influence of environmental and spatial factors on the above three facets of diversity, at the alpha and beta scales. We found that soil, climate, topography and spatial structures (principal coordinates of neighbor matrices) were significantly correlated with TD, FD and PD at both alpha and beta scales, implying that these diversity patterns are shaped by contemporary environment and spatial processes together. However, we also found that alpha diversity was predominantly regulated by spatial structure, whereas beta diversity was largely determined by environmental variables. Among environmental factors, TD was most strongly correlated with climatic factors at the alpha scale, while with soil factors at the beta scale. FD was only significantly correlated with soil factors at the alpha scale, but with altitude, soil and climatic factors at the beta scale. In contrast, PD was more strongly correlated with altitude at the alpha scale, but with soil factors at the beta scale. Environment and space explained a smaller portion of variance in PD than in TD and FD. These results provide robust evidence that the ecological drivers of biodiversity differ among different scales and facets of diversity. Future research that focuses on the comparisons among TD, FD and PD would likely provide new insights into elucidating the underlying community assembly.
format: application/pdf
format: text/html
creator: Jianming Wang
creator: Chen Chen
creator: Jingwen Li
creator: Yiming Feng
creator: Qi Lu
subject: Biodiversity
subject: Biogeography
subject: Ecology
subject: Plant Science
subject: Forestry
description: doi:10.7717/peerj.6220
publisher: PeerJ Inc.
rights: © 2019 Wang et al.
abstract: Drylands account for more than 30% of China’s terrestrial area, while the ecological drivers of taxonomic (TD), functional (FD) and phylogenetic (PD) diversity in dryland regions have not been explored simultaneously. Therefore, we selected 36 plots of desert and 32 plots of grassland (10 × 10 m) from a typical dryland region of northwest China. We calculated the alpha and beta components of TD, FD and PD for 68 dryland plant communities using Rao quadratic entropy index, which included 233 plant species. Redundancy analyses and variation partitioning analyses were used to explore the relative influence of environmental and spatial factors on the above three facets of diversity, at the alpha and beta scales. We found that soil, climate, topography and spatial structures (principal coordinates of neighbor matrices) were significantly correlated with TD, FD and PD at both alpha and beta scales, implying that these diversity patterns are shaped by contemporary environment and spatial processes together. However, we also found that alpha diversity was predominantly regulated by spatial structure, whereas beta diversity was largely determined by environmental variables. Among environmental factors, TD was most strongly correlated with climatic factors at the alpha scale, while with soil factors at the beta scale. FD was only significantly correlated with soil factors at the alpha scale, but with altitude, soil and climatic factors at the beta scale. In contrast, PD was more strongly correlated with altitude at the alpha scale, but with soil factors at the beta scale. Environment and space explained a smaller portion of variance in PD than in TD and FD. These results provide robust evidence that the ecological drivers of biodiversity differ among different scales and facets of diversity. Future research that focuses on the comparisons among TD, FD and PD would likely provide new insights into elucidating the underlying community assembly.
bibliographic citation: Wang et al. (2019) Different ecological processes determined the alpha and beta components of taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic diversity for plant communities in dryland regions of Northwest China. PeerJ 6:e6220 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.6220
date submitted: 2018-06-10
date accepted: 2018-12-05
issued: 2019-01-10
is part of: PeerJ
license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
author list: Agent
  family name: Wang
  given name: Jianming
author list: Agent
  family name: Chen
  given name: Chen
author list: Agent
  family name: Li
  given name: Jingwen
author list: Agent
  family name: Feng
  given name: Yiming
author list: Agent
  family name: Lu
  given name: Qi
doi: 10.7717/peerj.6220
volume: 6
issn: 2167-8359
publication name: PeerJ
publication date: 2019-01-10
copyright: © 2019 Wang et al.
attribution name: Wang et al.

Aridity and land use negatively influence a dominant species' upper critical thermal limits
type: item
type: AcademicArticle
description: Understanding the physiological tolerances of ectotherms, such as thermal limits, is important in predicting biotic responses to climate change. However, it is even more important to examine these impacts alongside those from other landscape changes: such as the reduction of native vegetation cover, landscape fragmentation and changes in land use intensity (LUI). Here, we integrate the observed thermal limits of the dominant and ubiquitous meat ant Iridomyrmex purpureus across climate (aridity), land cover and land use gradients spanning 270 km in length and 840 m in altitude across northern New South Wales, Australia. Meat ants were chosen for study as they are ecosystem engineers and changes in their populations may result in a cascade of changes in the populations of other species. When we assessed critical thermal maximum temperatures (CTmax) of meat ants in relation to the environmental gradients we found little influence of climate (aridity) but that CTmax decreased as LUI increased. We found no overall correlation between CTmax and CTmin. We did however find that tolerance to warming was lower for ants sampled from more arid locations. Our findings suggest that as LUI and aridification increase, the physiological resilience of I. purpureus will decline. A reduction in physiological resilience may lead to a reduction in the ecosystem service provision that these populations provide throughout their distribution.
format: application/pdf
format: text/html
creator: Nigel R. Andrew
creator: Cara Miller
creator: Graham Hall
creator: Zac Hemmings
creator: Ian Oliver
subject: Ecology
subject: Entomology
subject: Zoology
subject: Climate Change Biology
description: doi:10.7717/peerj.6252
publisher: PeerJ Inc.
rights: © 2019 Andrew et al.
abstract: Understanding the physiological tolerances of ectotherms, such as thermal limits, is important in predicting biotic responses to climate change. However, it is even more important to examine these impacts alongside those from other landscape changes: such as the reduction of native vegetation cover, landscape fragmentation and changes in land use intensity (LUI). Here, we integrate the observed thermal limits of the dominant and ubiquitous meat ant Iridomyrmex purpureus across climate (aridity), land cover and land use gradients spanning 270 km in length and 840 m in altitude across northern New South Wales, Australia. Meat ants were chosen for study as they are ecosystem engineers and changes in their populations may result in a cascade of changes in the populations of other species. When we assessed critical thermal maximum temperatures (CTmax) of meat ants in relation to the environmental gradients we found little influence of climate (aridity) but that CTmax decreased as LUI increased. We found no overall correlation between CTmax and CTmin. We did however find that tolerance to warming was lower for ants sampled from more arid locations. Our findings suggest that as LUI and aridification increase, the physiological resilience of I. purpureus will decline. A reduction in physiological resilience may lead to a reduction in the ecosystem service provision that these populations provide throughout their distribution.
bibliographic citation: Andrew et al. (2019) Aridity and land use negatively influence a dominant species' upper critical thermal limits. PeerJ 6:e6252 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.6252
date submitted: 2018-04-11
date accepted: 2018-12-10
issued: 2019-01-10
is part of: PeerJ
license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
author list: Agent
  family name: Andrew
  given name: Nigel R.
author list: Agent
  family name: Miller
  given name: Cara
author list: Agent
  family name: Hall
  given name: Graham
author list: Agent
  family name: Hemmings
  given name: Zac
author list: Agent
  family name: Oliver
  given name: Ian
doi: 10.7717/peerj.6252
volume: 6
issn: 2167-8359
publication name: PeerJ
publication date: 2019-01-10
copyright: © 2019 Andrew et al.
attribution name: Andrew et al.

MicroRNA-705 regulates the differentiation of mouse mandible bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells
type: item
type: AcademicArticle
description: The craniofacial skeleton is the foundation of most stomatological treatments, including prosthodontics and maxillofacial surgery. Although histologically similar to the appendicular skeleton, the craniofacial skeleton manifests many unique properties in response to external stimuli and signals. However, the mandibular or maxillary bone marrow mesenchyme, which is the intrinsic foundation of the functions of craniofacial skeleton, has not been well studied, and its homeostasis mechanism remains elusive. Osteoporosis is a systemic disease that affects all skeletons and is characterized by bone mass loss. Osteoporotic bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMMSCs) exhibit disturbed homeostasis and distorted lineage commitment. Many reports have shown that microRNAs (miRNAs) play important roles in regulating MSCs homeostasis. Here, to obtain a better understanding of mandibular bone marrow MSCs homeostasis, we isolated and cultured mandible marrow MSCs from mouse mandibles. Using miR-705 mimics and an inhibitor, we demonstrated that miR-705 played a vital role in shifting the mandibular MSCs lineage commitment in vitro. Utilizing an osteoporosis mouse model, we demonstrated that MSCs from ovariectomized (OVX) mouse mandibular bone marrow exhibited impaired osteogenic and excessive adipogenic differentiation. miR-705 was found overexpressed in OVX mandibular MSCs. The knock down of miR-705 in vitro partially attenuated the differentiation disorder of the OVX mandibular MSCs by upregulating the expression of osteogenic marker genes but suppressing adipogenic genes. Taken together, our findings provide a better understanding of the homeostasis mechanism of mandibular BMMSCs and a novel potential therapeutic target for treating mandibular osteoporosis.
format: application/pdf
format: text/html
creator: Xiao Hong Yang
creator: Kun Yang
creator: Yu Lin An
creator: Li Bo Wang
creator: Guo Luo
creator: Xiao Hua Hu
subject: Cell Biology
subject: Genetics
subject: Molecular Biology
subject: Dentistry
description: doi:10.7717/peerj.6279
publisher: PeerJ Inc.
rights: © 2019 Yang et al.
abstract: The craniofacial skeleton is the foundation of most stomatological treatments, including prosthodontics and maxillofacial surgery. Although histologically similar to the appendicular skeleton, the craniofacial skeleton manifests many unique properties in response to external stimuli and signals. However, the mandibular or maxillary bone marrow mesenchyme, which is the intrinsic foundation of the functions of craniofacial skeleton, has not been well studied, and its homeostasis mechanism remains elusive. Osteoporosis is a systemic disease that affects all skeletons and is characterized by bone mass loss. Osteoporotic bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMMSCs) exhibit disturbed homeostasis and distorted lineage commitment. Many reports have shown that microRNAs (miRNAs) play important roles in regulating MSCs homeostasis. Here, to obtain a better understanding of mandibular bone marrow MSCs homeostasis, we isolated and cultured mandible marrow MSCs from mouse mandibles. Using miR-705 mimics and an inhibitor, we demonstrated that miR-705 played a vital role in shifting the mandibular MSCs lineage commitment in vitro. Utilizing an osteoporosis mouse model, we demonstrated that MSCs from ovariectomized (OVX) mouse mandibular bone marrow exhibited impaired osteogenic and excessive adipogenic differentiation. miR-705 was found overexpressed in OVX mandibular MSCs. The knock down of miR-705 in vitro partially attenuated the differentiation disorder of the OVX mandibular MSCs by upregulating the expression of osteogenic marker genes but suppressing adipogenic genes. Taken together, our findings provide a better understanding of the homeostasis mechanism of mandibular BMMSCs and a novel potential therapeutic target for treating mandibular osteoporosis.
bibliographic citation: Yang et al. (2019) MicroRNA-705 regulates the differentiation of mouse mandible bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells. PeerJ 7:e6279 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.6279
date submitted: 2018-02-24
date accepted: 2018-11-12
issued: 2019-01-10
is part of: PeerJ
license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
author list: Agent
  family name: Yang
  given name: Xiao Hong
author list: Agent
  family name: Yang
  given name: Kun
author list: Agent
  family name: An
  given name: Yu Lin
author list: Agent
  family name: Wang
  given name: Li Bo
author list: Agent
  family name: Luo
  given name: Guo
author list: Agent
  family name: Hu
  given name: Xiao Hua
doi: 10.7717/peerj.6279
volume: 7
issn: 2167-8359
publication name: PeerJ
publication date: 2019-01-10
copyright: ©2019 Yang et al.
attribution name: Yang et al.

Influence of substrate types and morphological traits on movement behavior in a toad and newt species
type: item
type: AcademicArticle
description: Background Inter-patch movements may lead to genetic mixing, decreasing both inbreeding and population extinction risks, and is hence a crucial aspect of amphibian meta-population dynamics. Traveling through heterogeneous landscapes might be particularly risky for amphibians. Understanding how these species perceive their environment and how they move in heterogeneous habitats is an essential step in explaining metapopulation dynamics and can be important for predicting species’ responses to climate change and for conservation policy and management. Methods Using an experimental approach, the present study focused on the movement behavior (crossing speed and number of stops) on different substrates mimicking landscape components (human-made and natural substrates) in two amphibian species contrasting in locomotion mode: the common toad (Bufo bufo), a hopping and burrowing anuran and the marbled newt (Triturus marmoratus), a walking salamander. We tested the hypothesis that species reaction to substrate is dependent on specific ecological requirements or locomotion modes because of morphological and behavioral differences. Results In both species, substrate type influenced individual crossing speed, with individuals moving faster on soil than on concrete substrate. We also demonstrated that long-legged individuals moved faster than individuals with short legs. In both species, the number of stops was higher in females than in males. In common toads, the number of stops did not vary between substrates tested, whereas in marbled newts the number of stops was higher on concrete than on soil substrate. Discussion We highlighted that concrete substrate (mimicking roads) negatively affect the crossing speed of both studied species, with an effect potentially higher in marbled newts. Our findings corroborate negative effects of such heterogeneous landscapes on movement behavior of two amphibian species, which may have implications for the dynamics of metapopulations.
format: application/pdf
format: text/html
creator: Audrey Trochet
creator: Hugo Le Chevalier
creator: Olivier Calvez
creator: Alexandre Ribéron
creator: Romain Bertrand
creator: Simon Blanchet
subject: Animal Behavior
subject: Biodiversity
subject: Conservation Biology
description: doi:10.7717/peerj.6053
publisher: PeerJ Inc.
rights: © 2019 Trochet et al.
abstract: Background Inter-patch movements may lead to genetic mixing, decreasing both inbreeding and population extinction risks, and is hence a crucial aspect of amphibian meta-population dynamics. Traveling through heterogeneous landscapes might be particularly risky for amphibians. Understanding how these species perceive their environment and how they move in heterogeneous habitats is an essential step in explaining metapopulation dynamics and can be important for predicting species’ responses to climate change and for conservation policy and management. Methods Using an experimental approach, the present study focused on the movement behavior (crossing speed and number of stops) on different substrates mimicking landscape components (human-made and natural substrates) in two amphibian species contrasting in locomotion mode: the common toad (Bufo bufo), a hopping and burrowing anuran and the marbled newt (Triturus marmoratus), a walking salamander. We tested the hypothesis that species reaction to substrate is dependent on specific ecological requirements or locomotion modes because of morphological and behavioral differences. Results In both species, substrate type influenced individual crossing speed, with individuals moving faster on soil than on concrete substrate. We also demonstrated that long-legged individuals moved faster than individuals with short legs. In both species, the number of stops was higher in females than in males. In common toads, the number of stops did not vary between substrates tested, whereas in marbled newts the number of stops was higher on concrete than on soil substrate. Discussion We highlighted that concrete substrate (mimicking roads) negatively affect the crossing speed of both studied species, with an effect potentially higher in marbled newts. Our findings corroborate negative effects of such heterogeneous landscapes on movement behavior of two amphibian species, which may have implications for the dynamics of metapopulations.
bibliographic citation: Trochet et al. (2019) Influence of substrate types and morphological traits on movement behavior in a toad and newt species. PeerJ 6:e6053 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.6053
date submitted: 2018-07-02
date accepted: 2018-10-29
issued: 2019-01-09
is part of: PeerJ
license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
author list: Agent
  family name: Trochet
  given name: Audrey
author list: Agent
  family name: Le Chevalier
  given name: Hugo
author list: Agent
  family name: Calvez
  given name: Olivier
author list: Agent
  family name: Ribéron
  given name: Alexandre
author list: Agent
  family name: Bertrand
  given name: Romain
author list: Agent
  family name: Blanchet
  given name: Simon
doi: 10.7717/peerj.6053
volume: 6
issn: 2167-8359
publication name: PeerJ
publication date: 2019-01-09
copyright: © 2019 Trochet et al.
attribution name: Trochet et al.

Amelioration of drought effects in wheat and cucumber by the combined application of super absorbent polymer and potential biofertilizer
type: item
type: AcademicArticle
description: Biofertilizer is a good substitute for chemical fertilizer in sustainable agriculture, but its effects are often hindered by drought stress. Super absorbent polymer (SAP), showing good capacity of water absorption and retention, can increase soil moisture. However, limited information is available about the efficiency of biofertilizer amended with SAP. This study was conducted to investigate the effects of synergistic application of SAP and biofertilizers (Paenibacillus beijingensis BJ-18 and Bacillus sp. L-56) on plant growth, including wheat and cucumber. Potted soil was treated with different fertilizer combinations (SAP, BJ-18 biofertilizer, L-56 biofertilizer, BJ-18 + SAP, L-56 + SAP), and pot experiment was carried out to explore its effects on viability of inoculants, seed germination rate, plant physiological and biochemical parameters, and expression pattern of stress-related genes under drought condition. At day 29 after sowing, the highest viability of strain P. beijingensis BJ-18 (264 copies ng−1 gDNA) was observed in BJ-18 + SAP treatment group of wheat rhizosphere soil, while that of strain Bacillus sp. L-56 (331 copies ng−1 gDNA) was observed in the L-56 + SAP treatment group of cucumber rhizosphere soil. In addition, both biofertilizers amended with SAP could promote germination rate of seeds (wheat and cucumber), plant growth, soil fertility (urease, sucrose, and dehydrogenase activities). Quantitative real-time PCR analysis showed that biofertilizer + SAP significantly down-regulated the expression levels of genes involved in ROS scavenging (TaCAT, CsCAT, TaAPX, and CsAPX2), ethylene biosynthesis (TaACO2, CsACO1, and CsACS1), stress response (TaDHN3, TaLEA, and CsLEA11), salicylic acid (TaPR1-1a and CsPR1-1a), and transcription activation (TaNAC2D and CsNAC35) in plants under drought stress. These results suggest that SAP addition in biofertilizer is a good tactic for enhancing the efficiency of biofertilizer, which is beneficial for plants in resp…
format: application/pdf
format: text/html
creator: Yongbin Li
creator: Haowen Shi
creator: Haowei Zhang
creator: Sanfeng Chen
subject: Agricultural Science
subject: Biodiversity
subject: Microbiology
subject: Plant Science
subject: Soil Science
description: doi:10.7717/peerj.6073
publisher: PeerJ Inc.
rights: © 2019 Li et al.
abstract: Biofertilizer is a good substitute for chemical fertilizer in sustainable agriculture, but its effects are often hindered by drought stress. Super absorbent polymer (SAP), showing good capacity of water absorption and retention, can increase soil moisture. However, limited information is available about the efficiency of biofertilizer amended with SAP. This study was conducted to investigate the effects of synergistic application of SAP and biofertilizers (Paenibacillus beijingensis BJ-18 and Bacillus sp. L-56) on plant growth, including wheat and cucumber. Potted soil was treated with different fertilizer combinations (SAP, BJ-18 biofertilizer, L-56 biofertilizer, BJ-18 + SAP, L-56 + SAP), and pot experiment was carried out to explore its effects on viability of inoculants, seed germination rate, plant physiological and biochemical parameters, and expression pattern of stress-related genes under drought condition. At day 29 after sowing, the highest viability of strain P. beijingensis BJ-18 (264 copies ng−1 gDNA) was observed in BJ-18 + SAP treatment group of wheat rhizosphere soil, while that of strain Bacillus sp. L-56 (331 copies ng−1 gDNA) was observed in the L-56 + SAP treatment group of cucumber rhizosphere soil. In addition, both biofertilizers amended with SAP could promote germination rate of seeds (wheat and cucumber), plant growth, soil fertility (urease, sucrose, and dehydrogenase activities). Quantitative real-time PCR analysis showed that biofertilizer + SAP significantly down-regulated the expression levels of genes involved in ROS scavenging (TaCAT, CsCAT, TaAPX, and CsAPX2), ethylene biosynthesis (TaACO2, CsACO1, and CsACS1), stress response (TaDHN3, TaLEA, and CsLEA11), salicylic acid (TaPR1-1a and CsPR1-1a), and transcription activation (TaNAC2D and CsNAC35) in plants under drought stress. These results suggest that SAP addition in biofertilizer is a good tactic for enhancing the efficiency of biofertilizer, which is beneficial for plants in resp…
bibliographic citation: Li et al. (2019) Amelioration of drought effects in wheat and cucumber by the combined application of super absorbent polymer and potential biofertilizer. PeerJ 7:e6073 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.6073
date submitted: 2018-09-12
date accepted: 2018-11-06
issued: 2019-01-09
is part of: PeerJ
license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
author list: Agent
  family name: Li
  given name: Yongbin
author list: Agent
  family name: Shi
  given name: Haowen
author list: Agent
  family name: Zhang
  given name: Haowei
author list: Agent
  family name: Chen
  given name: Sanfeng
doi: 10.7717/peerj.6073
volume: 7
issn: 2167-8359
publication name: PeerJ
publication date: 2019-01-09
copyright: ©2019 Li et al.
attribution name: Li et al.

Post-mortem detection of six human herpesviruses (HSV-1, HSV-2, VZV, EBV, CMV, HHV-6) in trigeminal and facial nerve ganglia by PCR
type: item
type: AcademicArticle
description: Background Among over 100 types of Herpesviridae viruses, eight can infect humans: herpes simplex viruses (HSV-1, HSV-2), varicella zoster virus (VZV), cytomegalovirus (CMV), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), and human herpesviruses 6, 7, and 8 (HHV-6, HHV-7, HHV-8). After initial infection, the viruses remain latent for the lifetime of the host. The aim of this study was to determine the distribution of six different herpesviruses: HSV-1, HSV-2, VZV, EBV, CMV, and HHV-6 in trigeminal and facial nerve ganglia among a random group of Polish population. Methods The studied group consisted of 47 individuals (40 male, seven female); mean age of 47.4 ± 16.5 years) who died of independent causes (suicide, traffic accident, and poisoning, among others). Bilateral trigeminal and facial nerve ganglia of each cadaver were collected during the autopsy. Herpesviruses were detected using multiplex polymerase chain reaction technique. Results Herpesviruses were found in trigeminal and/or facial ganglia in 30/47 (63.8%) of cadavers. HHV-6 was the most prevalent of the herpesviruses and was found in nearly half of cadavers (n = 22; 46.8%), followed by HSV-1 (n = 7; 14.9%), VZV (n = 4; 8.5%), EBV (n = 4; 8.5%), HSV-2 (n = 2; 4.3%), and CMV (n = 1; 2.1%). Facial nerve ganglia (n = 23; 48.9%) were more often infected than trigeminal ganglia (n = 13; 27.7%). Discussion The results of this study have revealed a common presence of the herpesviruses in trigeminal and facial nerve ganglia among a random group of Polish population. Furthermore, the data also demonstrate simultaneous infection of the ganglia with different herpesviruses. This study has contributed to the knowledge of prevalence and localization of herpesviruses in different structures of the nervous system.
format: application/pdf
format: text/html
creator: Iwona Ptaszyńska-Sarosiek
creator: Justyna Dunaj
creator: Agata Zajkowska
creator: Anna Niemcunowicz-Janica
creator: Monika Król
creator: Sławomir Pancewicz
creator: Joanna Zajkowska
subject: Epidemiology
subject: Infectious Diseases
subject: Neurology
subject: Pathology
description: doi:10.7717/peerj.6095
publisher: PeerJ Inc.
rights: © 2019 Ptaszyńska-Sarosiek et al.
abstract: Background Among over 100 types of Herpesviridae viruses, eight can infect humans: herpes simplex viruses (HSV-1, HSV-2), varicella zoster virus (VZV), cytomegalovirus (CMV), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), and human herpesviruses 6, 7, and 8 (HHV-6, HHV-7, HHV-8). After initial infection, the viruses remain latent for the lifetime of the host. The aim of this study was to determine the distribution of six different herpesviruses: HSV-1, HSV-2, VZV, EBV, CMV, and HHV-6 in trigeminal and facial nerve ganglia among a random group of Polish population. Methods The studied group consisted of 47 individuals (40 male, seven female); mean age of 47.4 ± 16.5 years) who died of independent causes (suicide, traffic accident, and poisoning, among others). Bilateral trigeminal and facial nerve ganglia of each cadaver were collected during the autopsy. Herpesviruses were detected using multiplex polymerase chain reaction technique. Results Herpesviruses were found in trigeminal and/or facial ganglia in 30/47 (63.8%) of cadavers. HHV-6 was the most prevalent of the herpesviruses and was found in nearly half of cadavers (n = 22; 46.8%), followed by HSV-1 (n = 7; 14.9%), VZV (n = 4; 8.5%), EBV (n = 4; 8.5%), HSV-2 (n = 2; 4.3%), and CMV (n = 1; 2.1%). Facial nerve ganglia (n = 23; 48.9%) were more often infected than trigeminal ganglia (n = 13; 27.7%). Discussion The results of this study have revealed a common presence of the herpesviruses in trigeminal and facial nerve ganglia among a random group of Polish population. Furthermore, the data also demonstrate simultaneous infection of the ganglia with different herpesviruses. This study has contributed to the knowledge of prevalence and localization of herpesviruses in different structures of the nervous system.
bibliographic citation: Ptaszyńska-Sarosiek et al. (2019) Post-mortem detection of six human herpesviruses (HSV-1, HSV-2, VZV, EBV, CMV, HHV-6) in trigeminal and facial nerve ganglia by PCR. PeerJ 6:e6095 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.6095
date submitted: 2018-07-13
date accepted: 2018-11-10
issued: 2019-01-09
is part of: PeerJ
license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
author list: Agent
  family name: Ptaszyńska-Sarosiek
  given name: Iwona
author list: Agent
  family name: Dunaj
  given name: Justyna
author list: Agent
  family name: Zajkowska
  given name: Agata
author list: Agent
  family name: Niemcunowicz-Janica
  given name: Anna
author list: Agent
  family name: Król
  given name: Monika
author list: Agent
  family name: Pancewicz
  given name: Sławomir
author list: Agent
  family name: Zajkowska
  given name: Joanna
doi: 10.7717/peerj.6095
volume: 6
issn: 2167-8359
publication name: PeerJ
publication date: 2019-01-09
copyright: © 2019 Ptaszyńska-Sarosiek et al.
attribution name: Ptaszyńska-Sarosiek et al.

The gut microbiome correlates with conspecific aggression in a small population of rescued dogs (Canis familiaris)
type: item
type: AcademicArticle
description: Aggression is a serious behavioral disorder in domestic dogs that endangers both dogs and humans. The underlying causes of canine aggression are poorly resolved and require illumination to ensure effective therapy. Recent research links the compositional diversity of the gut microbiome to behavioral and psychological regulation in other mammals, such as mice and humans. Given these observations, we hypothesized that the composition of the canine gut microbiome could associate with aggression. We analyzed fecal microbiome samples collected from a small population of pit bull type dogs seized from a dogfighting organization. This population included 21 dogs that displayed conspecific aggressive behaviors and 10 that did not. Beta-diversity analyses support an association between gut microbiome structure and dog aggression. Additionally, we used a phylogenetic approach to resolve specific clades of gut bacteria that stratify aggressive and non-aggressive dogs, including clades within Lactobacillus, Dorea, Blautia, Turicibacter, and Bacteroides. Several of these taxa have been implicated in modulating mammalian behavior as well as gastrointestinal disease states. Although sample size limits this study, our findings indicate that gut microorganisms are linked to dog aggression and point to an aggression-associated physiological state that interacts with the gut microbiome. These results also indicate that the gut microbiome may be useful for diagnosing aggressive behaviors prior to their manifestation and potentially discerning cryptic etiologies of aggression.
format: application/pdf
format: text/html
creator: Nicole S. Kirchoff
creator: Monique A.R. Udell
creator: Thomas J. Sharpton
subject: Animal Behavior
subject: Bioinformatics
subject: Microbiology
description: doi:10.7717/peerj.6103
publisher: PeerJ Inc.
rights: © 2019 Kirchoff et al.
abstract: Aggression is a serious behavioral disorder in domestic dogs that endangers both dogs and humans. The underlying causes of canine aggression are poorly resolved and require illumination to ensure effective therapy. Recent research links the compositional diversity of the gut microbiome to behavioral and psychological regulation in other mammals, such as mice and humans. Given these observations, we hypothesized that the composition of the canine gut microbiome could associate with aggression. We analyzed fecal microbiome samples collected from a small population of pit bull type dogs seized from a dogfighting organization. This population included 21 dogs that displayed conspecific aggressive behaviors and 10 that did not. Beta-diversity analyses support an association between gut microbiome structure and dog aggression. Additionally, we used a phylogenetic approach to resolve specific clades of gut bacteria that stratify aggressive and non-aggressive dogs, including clades within Lactobacillus, Dorea, Blautia, Turicibacter, and Bacteroides. Several of these taxa have been implicated in modulating mammalian behavior as well as gastrointestinal disease states. Although sample size limits this study, our findings indicate that gut microorganisms are linked to dog aggression and point to an aggression-associated physiological state that interacts with the gut microbiome. These results also indicate that the gut microbiome may be useful for diagnosing aggressive behaviors prior to their manifestation and potentially discerning cryptic etiologies of aggression.
bibliographic citation: Kirchoff et al. (2019) The gut microbiome correlates with conspecific aggression in a small population of rescued dogs (Canis familiaris). PeerJ 7:e6103 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.6103
date submitted: 2018-06-12
date accepted: 2018-11-13
issued: 2019-01-09
is part of: PeerJ
license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
author list: Agent
  family name: Kirchoff
  given name: Nicole S.
author list: Agent
  family name: Udell
  given name: Monique A.R.
author list: Agent
  family name: Sharpton
  given name: Thomas J.
doi: 10.7717/peerj.6103
volume: 7
issn: 2167-8359
publication name: PeerJ
publication date: 2019-01-09
copyright: ©2019 Kirchoff et al.
attribution name: Kirchoff et al.

PeerJ
type: Periodical
uri: PeerJ
issn: 2167-8359