title: PeerJ
description:  Articles published in PeerJ
link: https://peerj.com/articles/index.rss3?journal=peerj&page=35
creator: info@peerj.com PeerJ
errorsTo: info@peerj.com PeerJ
language: en

title: Are northern communities an overlooked source of microplastics and tire wear particles in the Arctic?
link: https://peerj.com/articles/20237
last-modified: 2025-10-23
description: Microplastic particles (plastic 1 µm to 5 mm in length) are a contaminant of emerging concern in Arctic environments; nonetheless, few studies have evaluated atmospheric microplastics in Arctic communities. This study investigated microplastics and tire wear particles across 16 sites in the community of Iqaluit, Nunavut (population = 7,429) using road dust as an indicator of atmospheric microplastic deposition (size detection limit >50 µm). The mean concentration of microplastics (excluding tire wear particles), ranged from 36.5 ± 68.4 µg/g (5.41 ± 4.69 n/g) in industrial sites and 73.4 ± 121 µg/g (6.21 ± 4.46 n/g) in commercial sites and non-fibrous microplastics (i.e., fragments, films, and foams) were dominant across the study area. Various polymers were identified using Fourier-Transform Infrared spectroscopy in Attenuated Total Reflectance down to a particle size of 100 µm. The dominant polymers being polyethylene terephthalate (15%), polyester (15%), polymethyl acrylate (15%), and polystyrene (15%). Further, based on the results of the microplastic diversity integrated index, commercial and industrial regions were composed of unique microplastic communities. The mean concentration of tire wear particles (dominated by rubber; 27%) in road dust was significantly greater than other microplastics, ranging from 83.2 ± 49.1 µg/g (49.3 ± 30.0 n/g) in industrial sites to 481 ± 514 µg/g (102 ± 132 n/g) in commercial sites. The concentration of microplastics and tire wear particles in Iqaluit was consistent with observations from metropolitan cities, suggesting Arctic communities may be a substantial local source of atmospheric microplastics and tire wear particles to surrounding Arctic ecosystems.
creator: Kelly Evans
creator: Liisa Jantunen
creator: Julian Aherne
uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.20237
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
rights: © 2025 Evans et al.

title: Summer pruning in apple trees is an advisable cultural practice that promotes bud differentiation and improves fruit quality: a literature review
link: https://peerj.com/articles/20229
last-modified: 2025-10-23
description: Apples (Malus domestica) are among the most widely cultivated and economically valuable fruit tree crops worldwide. Summer pruning, encompassing thinning, branch bending, and ring wounding, is a method of regulating apple production and is important to fruit tree growth. Timely and appropriate application of this measure can control the vigorous growth of new shoots, promoting the differentiation of flower buds, enhancing early fruiting and yield of young trees, improving the ventilation and light conditions of trees, and reducing the occurrence of pests and diseases, thereby achieving superior fruit quality. However, excessive pruning negatively affects the tree’s strength, yield, and fruit quality. In this review, we concisely describe the physiological basis of summer pruning, the main manual pruning methods, the latest robotic pruning technologies, and their specific impacts on fruit quality and yield. We also analyze the main problems in current production, emphasizing the importance of robotic pruning as an important management measure for future large-scale and intelligent development of the apple industry. This information is beneficial to fruit tree researchers and growers and provides a scientific reference for apple production.
creator: Xiaoyu Qiu
creator: Wenxi Xing
creator: Youxiong Que
creator: Guilong Lu
uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.20229
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
rights: ©2025 Qiu et al.

title: Control of Cydia pomonella (L.) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) in apple orchards using the mating disruption technique
link: https://peerj.com/articles/20226
last-modified: 2025-10-23
description: The codling moth, Cydia pomonella (L.) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), is a major, economically important pest of apple orchards in Türkiye. This study was conducted with the objective of evaluating the efficacy of the mating disruption technique in controlling C. pomonella in commercial apple orchards in the Beyşehir district (Konya) during the years 2023 and 2024. The experiments were conducted in six commercial apple orchards. Three of these orchards were treated with pheromones, while the remaining three served as control orchards. The efficacy of mating disruption was evaluated by comparing the number of C. pomonella males caught in Delta traps in pheromone-treated and control orchards and the infestation rates in these orchards. Delta traps baited with synthetic sex pheromone were hung in each pheromone-treated and control apple orchard to monitor the adult codling moths, and the number of males was recorded weekly. Once the first adult was caught in Delta traps, ISOCOD-C (380 mg (E,E)-8,10-Dodecadienol, dodecanol, tetradecanol) pheromone dispensers were hung at a dose of 500 pieces/ha, 1.5–1.8 m above the soil surface in four directions of the trees in the apple orchards where the mating disruption technique was applied. To determine the infestation rate of C. pomonella, 10 fruits from 10 trees (a total of 100 fruits) were randomly selected and the infested fruits were recorded weekly. ISOCOD-C pheromone dispensers suppressed capture of male moths in Delta traps and infestation rate in fruits in the treated orchards in both years, and the differences were found to be statistically significant in comparison to the control. In the pheromone-treated orchards, the mean number of males (trap/week) was 0.91 ± 0.18 and 0.81 ± 0.19 in 2023 and 2024, respectively, while this was 11.38 ± 1.64 in 2023 and 19.60 ± 2.65 in 2024 in the control orchards. The mean infestation rate (%) in the pheromone-treated orchards was 1.18 ± 0.21% and 2.50 ± 0.43%, in 2023 and 2024, respectively. In contrast, this rate was 13.26 ± 1.08% and 15.33 ± 1.02% in the control orchards. In addition, it was determined that the total number of sprays for codling moth in orchards using mating disruption decreased by 44.4% and 45.4% in 2023 and 2024, respectively, in comparison with the control. As a result, this study revealed that the ISOCOD-C pheromone disperser can be successfully used against C. pomonella in apple orchards.
creator: Alperen Kutalmış
creator: Ekrem Ögür
uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.20226
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
rights: ©2025 Kutalmış and Ögür

title: Deriving fibroblast cell lines from wing-punch biopsies of Australian eastern bent-winged bats (Miniopterus orianae oceanensis)
link: https://peerj.com/articles/20222
last-modified: 2025-10-23
description: Cell cultures are a valuable tool for the study of in vitro disease processes, especially where such processes concern wild and/or threatened animal species. However, the collection of adequate samples for cell line preparation can be challenging under field conditions due to logistical challenges and access to equipment. In this paper, we describe the generation of fibroblast cell lines derived from wing-punch biopsies of Australian eastern bent-winged bats (Miniopterus orianae oceanensis), expanding on and modifying existing protocols. Twenty wing-punch biopsies were collected from free-ranging individuals in New South Wales in February 2024 and shipped to the University of Melbourne, Victoria, within 24 hours. To assess the impact of different preservation methods on sample integrity, samples were subjected to two different shipping treatments: Ten were snap-frozen immediately upon collection, and the other ten were placed in cool phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) for transport. To test the effect of different plating treatments, samples were plated as either collagenase-digested cells or explants. Although none of the frozen biopsies or explants showed any growth, all samples transported in cool PBS and plated as digested cells remained viable. While agitation of the samples prior to plating resulted in an initially faster rate of cell growth, cells derived from tissue that had been digested multiple times spread across the plate and formed a monolayer significantly faster than those that had been digested only once. This study confirms the effectiveness of existing cell culture protocols using non-lethal sampling techniques in an Australian insectivorous bat species and shows a novel method of maximizing cell yield from a single biopsy. It also introduces an alternative transportation method, beneficial for field sample collection. These cell cultures are essential tools for future studies on disease susceptibility and pathogen responses in bat species, particularly those belonging to the family Miniopteridae. Additionally, they can be used for biobanking efforts, preserving the genetic material of non-model organisms for broader conservation purposes.
creator: Anna Langguth
creator: Laura A. Brannelly
creator: Christopher Turbill
creator: Tomás Villada-Cadavid
creator: Nicholas C. Wu
creator: Jasmin Hufschmid
creator: Ellen Cottingham
uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.20222
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
rights: ©2025 Langguth et al.

title: Taxonomic identification, genomic analysis, and optimized chromium(VI) bioreduction by Microbacterium triticisoli sp. nov. M28T
link: https://peerj.com/articles/20192
last-modified: 2025-10-23
description: Strain M28T was isolated from subsoil obtained from decaying wheat straw. Cells were Gram-positive, non-motile, short rod-shaped and formed yellowish colonies on lysogeny broth (LB) agar. The strain was able to grow at 0–8% (w/v) NaCl , 15–40 °C and pH 5.5–10.0. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences, core genes and whole-genome indicated that strain M28T belonged to the genus Microbacterium but was distinct from all known strains in this genus. Based on phenotypic, genotypic, chemical taxono mic and phylogenetic analyses, strain M28T is a representative of a new species of Microbacterium, which is proposed to be named Microbacterium triticisoli sp. nov., the type strain is M28T (=CCTCC AA 2022021T =JCM 35796T). Genomic analysis revealed multiple metal resistance systems, antibiotic resistance determinants and oxidative stress defense genes, explaining its exceptional environmental adaptability. Notably, the strain reduced 99% of 50 mg/L Cr(VI) within 24 h under optimized conditions (37 °C, pH 7.0, 2.5 g/L sucrose) and tolerated Cr(VI) concentrations up to 125 mg/L. This study identifies M. triticisoli as a promising agent for chromium bioremediation, providing a foundation for engineering microbial solutions to heavy metal pollution.
creator: Yu Qing
creator: Jiewei Tian
creator: Zhenhua Ma
creator: Miao Tang
creator: Xiufeng Long
uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.20192
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
rights: © 2025 Qing et al.

title: Genetic diversity analysis of the natural regeneration loci of Liriodendron chinense in artificial mixed forests in the rocky desertification area of Western Hunan
link: https://peerj.com/articles/20138
last-modified: 2025-10-23
description: Liriodendron chinense plays a crucial role in improving the ecological environment and combating soil erosion in the rocky desertification area of Western Hunan, China. However, there is still a lack of systematic research on the genetic diversity of natural populations of the L. chinense in rocky desertification areas. This study employed 11 simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers to analyze genetic diversity and spatial genetic structure in a population of 318 L. chinense individuals. We conducted parentage analysis on individuals from a limited area of natural regeneration to quantify pollen and seed-mediated gene flow separately. Based on diameter classification, L. chinense individuals in the large diameter class can be considered as potential parents. The results show that there is moderate genetic diversity in the natural populations of the L. chinense. The spatial genetic patterns of the adult individuals indicate that significant gene flow occurs primarily at short to medium distances, with about 70% occurring within a range of less than 80 m. Among the 318 L. chinense individuals analyzed, 201 were predominantly assigned to the parental generation, with 41 showing closest genetic similarity to the maternal parent. These results indicate that the majority of pollen (63.2%) originated from within the sampling area, which suggests a substantial proportion of natural regeneration occurred within the 2.5 hm2 stand. These findings further elucidate the natural regeneration process of L. chinense and provide a theoretical foundation for ecological restoration efforts in rocky desertification areas.
creator: Ziying Jia
creator: Yixuan Wang
creator: Bingkun Huang
creator: Miao Liang
creator: Chong Ge
creator: Ninghua Zhu
creator: Ren You
uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.20138
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
rights: ©2025 Jia et al.

title: Full-length transcriptome profiling of Gentiana straminea Maxim. provides new insights into iridoid biosynthesis pathway
link: https://peerj.com/articles/20136
last-modified: 2025-10-23
description: Gentiana straminea Maxim. is a traditional Chinese medicinal plant celebrated for its diverse array of bioactive compounds, particularly iridoid glycosides. These compounds are recognized as the main components that exert therapeutic effects against rheumatism, osteoarthritis, hepatitis, gastritis, and cholecystitis. Consequently, research on G. straminea has attracted significant interest, yet the genetic factors underlying the production and diversification of its secondary metabolites remain poorly understood, especially the pathway of iridoid biosynthesis. In the present study, a full-length transcriptome analysis based on PacBio Sequel II platform and Illumina sequencing was performed to identify genes that were differentially expressed in five G. straminea tissues, and proteins catalyzing iridoid biosynthesis were characterized. After sequence clustering and redundancy removal, a total of 32,776 isoforms were identified in PacBio sequencing, with an average length of 2,589.14 bp, an N50 value of 2,767 bp, and a guanine-cytosine (GC) content of 41.43%. Results of Illumina sequencing unveiled that a total of 31,330 genes were found in common in all the five tissues. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis revealed that the DEGs were mainly enriched in terms related to biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, metabolic pathways, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway, etc. A total of 117 isoforms encoding 19 key enzymes related to the iridoid synthesis pathway were identified, including one geranyl diphosphate synthase (GPPS) and two geranylgeranyl diphosphate synthases (GGPPS). A phylogenetic analysis further classified plant G(G)PPSs into three distinct branches. Profiling tissue-specific expression of key genes involved in iridoid synthesis revealed that the Quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) results demonstrated the consistent trend with the FPKM (Fragments Per Kilobase of transcript per Million mapped reads) values in the root, stem, leaf, flower, ovary, non-embryonic callus (NEC), and embryonic callus (EC). Among them, AACT, IDI, ISPH, and GCPE had the highest expression levels in leaves, whereas DXS and GPPS had the highest expression levels in stems. This work provides the first transcriptomic analysis of G. straminea, serving as a foundational resource for elucidating mechanisms of bioactive compound biosynthesis, facilitating molecular studies, and supporting genomic exploration of this medicinal species.
creator: Lina Yang
creator: Tao He
creator: Le Wang
creator: Xiaochun Ning
creator: Shuai Wang
uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.20136
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
rights: ©2025 Yang et al.

title: Effects of resisted sprint training on agility and change-of-direction performance in soccer players: a systematic review with meta-analysis
link: https://peerj.com/articles/20084
last-modified: 2025-10-23
description: BackgroundAgility and change-of-direction (COD) are essential for success in soccer, influencing performance and injury risk. Resisted sprint training (RST) has shown promise in enhancing these skills by improving muscle strength and neuromuscular coordination. However, the effects of vertical and horizontal RST on agility and COD performance remain inadequately explored.MethodologyA systematic literature search was conducted across PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar without date restrictions, following PRISMA guidelines. Studies were included if they involved healthy soccer players, RST interventions, and assessed agility or COD speed. Data extraction and quality assessment were executed independently by two reviewers; statistical analyses employed RevMan and Stata software packages.ResultsThis meta-analysis included 13 studies, which collectively generated 35 groups based on experiment and control protocols. The demonstrated a statistically significant improvement of RST on agility and COD performance (SMD = −0.31, 95% CI [−0.44 to −0.17], p < 0.001). Subgroup analyses revealed a trend towards greater improvements with vertically resisted sprinting (SMD = −0.36, p = 0.009), compared to horizontally resisted sprinting (SMD = −0.13, p = 0.25) although the difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.07). Elite athletes demonstrated significant enhancements in agility and COD (SMD = −0.45, p < 0.001). In contrast, amateur athletes displayed no significant improvements (SMD = −0.05, p = 0.77). RST outperformed unresisted sprinting (SMD = −0.29, p < 0.05) and alternative training (SMD = −0.36, p < 0.001), indicating its effectiveness across various comparators.ConclusionsRST significantly enhances agility and change-of-direction performance in soccer players, particularly among elite athletes. Vertical resisted sprinting is more effective than horizontal resistance, supporting its integration into training programs for improved athletic performance.PROSPERO registration number (CRD42024608859).
creator: Zongwei He
creator: Tianyu Duan
creator: Dongyu Li
creator: Xuan Zhang
uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.20084
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
rights: ©2025 He et al.

title: Influence of temperature on developmental and biochemical traits of the red squat lobster Grimothea monodon (H. Milne Edwards, 1837) during early ontogeny
link: https://peerj.com/articles/20278
last-modified: 2025-10-22
description: Temperature is one of the most important environmental factors that influence on the successful development and survival of decapod larvae. Our model species, the red squat lobster Grimothea monodon, has a wide biogeographic distribution in the Humboldt Current Ecosystem (HCE) and support important fishing activities. Recently, it has been described that juvenile and adult individuals of G. monodon (i.e., benthic phase of their ontogeny), present intraspecific variations in size, lifestyle, and nutritional condition, which could be modulated by the environmental conditions like temperature associated with depth. However, it is still unknown whether these intraspecific variations also occur during early ontogeny (i.e., planktonic larval phase). To investigate, we evaluated the effect of contrasting temperatures (i.e., cold: 12 °C vs. warm: 20 °C) on the developmental and biochemical parameters of larvae of the red squat lobster G. monodon under laboratory conditions. Our results show that differences were observed only in the development time and larval size of the larvae developed at the two experimental culture temperatures. No significant variations were recorded in mortality during the larval phase (i.e., from zoea I to megalopa), nor were significant variations detected in the biomass (dry weight) or the biochemical-elemental constituents (carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen) of an advanced larval stage (zoea V) at the two evaluated temperatures. Our findings suggest that during early ontogeny G. monodon presents intraspecific variability in its developmental traits along with a high physiological-energetic plasticity that allows it to survive and successfully cope with the temporal and spatial variations in seawater temperature that frequently occur in the HCE.
creator: Marco Quispe-Machaca
creator: Luis Olavarría
creator: Gabriela Torres
creator: Ángel Urzúa
uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.20278
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
rights: © 2025 Quispe-Machaca et al.

title: The influence of basketball players’ tracking speed ability on sports decision performance
link: https://peerj.com/articles/20266
last-modified: 2025-10-22
description: BackgroundThe running speed of basketball players plays a critical role in shaping the complexity and dynamics of game situations. This study aims to examine the relationship between players’ tracking speed capabilities and the quality of their decision-making during gameplay.MethodsEmploying an expert-novice paradigm, Experiment 1 assessed tracking accuracy in a multiple object tracking (MOT) task at three angular velocities: 5°/s, 10°/s, and 15°/s. Experiment 2 evaluated decision-making accuracy under three distinct running speed conditions: low speed (0.67–3.98 m/s), medium speed (3.99–7.97 m/s), and high speed (7.98–12.62 m/s).ResultsIn Experiment 1, expert players demonstrated significantly higher tracking accuracy (60.42 ± 13.98%) than novice players (41.25 ± 13.93%) at 10°/s (P < 0.001). No significant group differences were found at 5°/s or 15°/s (Ps > 0.05). In Experiment 2, the expert group exhibited significantly higher decision accuracy than the novice group across all three speed conditions (Ps < 0.001). Moreover, at high speeds (7.98–12.62 m/s), shooting decisions were significantly less accurate than passing and breakthrough decisions (Ps < 0.001), while no significant differences were observed between passing and breakthrough decisions (Ps > 0.05).ConclusionThis study shows that expert basketball players display superior visual attention and decision-making in moderate-to-high complexity settings, extending dynamic sport cognition theory. The absence of differences at 5°/s and 15°/s suggests task boundary effects. Future work should examine player position and gender to refine perceptual-cognitive training and theoretical models.
creator: Qifeng Gou
creator: Sunnan Li
uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.20266
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
rights: © 2025 Gou and Li