Selected Papers from the 2nd International Electronic Conference on Diversity - Animals, Plants and Microbes (IECD 2022)

A special issue of Diversity (ISSN 1424-2818).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 July 2022) | Viewed by 13165

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Institute of Pharmacy and Molecular Biotechnology, Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 329, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany
Interests: phytochemistry; molecular pharmacology of medicinal and toxic plants; alkaloids; evolution; chemical ecology; ornithology; phylogeny and evolution
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Dear Colleagues,

The 2nd International Electronic Conference on Diversity—Animals, Plants and Microbes (IECD 2022), sponsored by the MDPI open access journal Diversity, will be held online from 15 to 31 March 2022. This event enables researchers in the science of biodiversity to present their research and exchange ideas with their colleagues without the need for travel. All proceedings will be published on the conference homepage in open access format.

Through this event, we aim to cover the following topics:

  1. Marine diversity;
    2. Animal diversity;
    3. Plant diversity;
    4. Microbial diversity and culture collections;
    5. Chemical biodiversity and chemical ecology;
    6. Biodiversity conservation;
    7. Biogeography and macroecology;
    8. Phylogeny and evolution;
    9. Biodiversity loss and dynamics;
    10. Mesophotic ecosystem diversity;
    11. Invasive species and diversity.

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For selected papers that are presented at the congress, authors are invited to submit their extended versions to this Special Issue of the journal Diversity after the conference, with 20% discount on the fees. Submitted papers should be extended to the size of regular research or review articles, with at least a 50% extension of new results. All submitted papers will undergo our standard peer-review procedure. Accepted papers will be published in open access format in Diversity and collected together in the Special Issue website. There are no page limitations for this journal.

Prof. Dr. Michael Wink
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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 2236 KiB  
Article
Genome-Wide SNP Analysis Reveals the Genetic Diversity and Population Structure of the Domestic Reindeer Population (Rangifer tarandus) Inhabiting the Indigenous Tofalar Lands of Southern Siberia
by Veronika Ruslanovna Kharzinova, Arsen Vladimirovich Dotsev, Anastasiya Dmitrievna Solovieva, Larisa Delger-Oolovna Shimit, Anton Pavlovich Kochkarev, Henry Reyer and Natalia Anatolievna Zinovieva
Diversity 2022, 14(11), 900; https://doi.org/10.3390/d14110900 - 25 Oct 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2985
Abstract
Operating under the assumption that decline in population size increases the threat of loss of genetic diversity, herein, our first aim was to monitor and document the genetic diversity and population structure of the endemic Tuva–Tofalar reindeer, the number of which has seen [...] Read more.
Operating under the assumption that decline in population size increases the threat of loss of genetic diversity, herein, our first aim was to monitor and document the genetic diversity and population structure of the endemic Tuva–Tofalar reindeer, the number of which has seen a dramatic decrease. Second, we were interested in understanding of Tuva reindeer genetic relationship with four officially recognized reindeer breeds, whose wild populations inhabit the Far North of Russia, as well as with the domestic reindeer making up the Mongolian population. Our results, based on the genome-wide SNP genotypes generated by the BovineHD BeadChip, revealed a low level of genetic variability of Tuva population in terms of the values of both allelic and genetic diversity. The ADMIXTURE analysis, the PCA plot, and the Neighbor Net network results, showed that Tuva population shared genetic background with reindeer inhabiting Mongolia, an implication of their common origin. Moreover, all statistic approaches used in our study showed a distinctive shared genetic structure revealed in independent clusters found in the composition of: an admixed cluster of Tuvan and Mongolian populations, a cluster of domestic reindeer breeds, and a cluster of the wild populations—all of which indirectly points to the possibility of the independent origins (with regard to the domestication) of the reindeer groups studied herein. We believe that our findings will contribute to the formation of a rational basis for solving problems related to the conservation of domestic Tuva-Tofalar reindeer in order to increase the number of this substantial reindeer population which will contribute to the sustainable functioning of ecosystems and the lives and culture of indigenous peoples inhabiting the southern sections of Eastern Siberia. Full article
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9 pages, 1122 KiB  
Article
Genome-Wide Screening for SNPs Associated with Stature in Diverse Cattle Breeds
by Alexandra S. Abdelmanova, Alexander A. Sermyagin, Arsen V. Dotsev, Nikolay V. Bardukov, Margaret S. Fornara, Gottfried Brem and Natalia A. Zinovieva
Diversity 2022, 14(8), 692; https://doi.org/10.3390/d14080692 - 22 Aug 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2046
Abstract
Cattle breeds used in industrial production tend to be larger than local cattle, as increased dairy and beef productivity is closely related to stature. This study aimed to identify single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) significantly associated with stature in diverse cattle breeds. Thirteen local [...] Read more.
Cattle breeds used in industrial production tend to be larger than local cattle, as increased dairy and beef productivity is closely related to stature. This study aimed to identify single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) significantly associated with stature in diverse cattle breeds. Thirteen local and transboundary cattle breeds (n = 670) were divided into two groups according to their stature. The high-stature group included the Angus, Ayrshire, Black-and-White, Holstein, Kholmogor, Yaroslavl, Tagil, and Istoben breeds. The low-stature group included Jersey, Kalmyk, Kyrgyz, Mongolian, and Yakut. The average height at withers was 136.3 ± 1.6 and 121.6 ± 2.8 cm in the high- and low-stature groups, respectively. The samples of the 11 breeds were genotyped using high-density DNA arrays. Genotypes of the two remaining breeds were downloaded from the publicly available WIDDE database. Genome-wide association studies revealed seven SNPs strongly associated with stature, including three at 77.3–77.8 cM on BTA4 and four at 24.5–25.2 cM on BTA14. Functional annotation showed the localization within identified regions of genes responsible for growth, exterior characteristics, protein and lipid metabolism, and feed intake. The identified SNPs can be considered useful DNA markers for marker-assisted cattle breeding aimed at increasing stature. Full article
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16 pages, 3235 KiB  
Article
Comparison of Trophic Niche Position, Size, and Overlap in an Assemblage of Pacific Rockfish (Genus Sebastes) for Testing Community Composition Models
by Andrew D. Suchomel and Mark C. Belk
Diversity 2022, 14(8), 689; https://doi.org/10.3390/d14080689 - 21 Aug 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2231
Abstract
Rockfish (genus Sebastes) assemblages can inform mechanisms of coexistence and maintenance of diversity in ecological communities. Coexistence theory characterizes ecological assemblages as following either a deterministic niche differentiation model, or a stochastic lottery model. We used natural abundances of carbon and nitrogen [...] Read more.
Rockfish (genus Sebastes) assemblages can inform mechanisms of coexistence and maintenance of diversity in ecological communities. Coexistence theory characterizes ecological assemblages as following either a deterministic niche differentiation model, or a stochastic lottery model. We used natural abundances of carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes from the tissues of ten co-occurring species of rockfish to assess position, size, and overlap of trophic niches in this diverse assemblage. We created a stochastic null model and compared observed values against the null model to determine if patterns were consistent with a deterministic or a stochastic model. We classified rockfish species as either demersal or pelagic. Mean δ13C and δ15N values differed among pelagic and demersal rockfish species and mean position was more variable than what was predicted by our null model. All species had relatively small trophic niches compared to occupied trophic niche space for the entire assemblage and trophic niche size was smaller than what was predicted by our null model. Trophic niche overlaps varied from 32% to 189% but were substantially lower than predicted by our null mode. All observed trophic niche metrics were different than the stochastic null model. This rockfish assemblage follows a deterministic model of community composition. Full article
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13 pages, 2648 KiB  
Article
The Spread of the Invasive Locust Digitate Leafminer Parectopa robiniella Clemens, 1863 (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae) in Europe, with Special Reference to Ukraine
by Volodymyr Tytar, Oksana Nekrasova, Oleksii Marushchak, Mihails Pupins, Arturs Skute, Andris Čeirāns and Iryna Kozynenko
Diversity 2022, 14(8), 605; https://doi.org/10.3390/d14080605 - 28 Jul 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2192
Abstract
The spread and outbreaks of phytophagous pests are often associated with global warming. In addition to economic interest, these species may be of interest in terms of biological indication of climate changes. In this context, we considered the locust digitate leafminer Parectopa robiniella [...] Read more.
The spread and outbreaks of phytophagous pests are often associated with global warming. In addition to economic interest, these species may be of interest in terms of biological indication of climate changes. In this context, we considered the locust digitate leafminer Parectopa robiniella Clemens, 1863 (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae). This phytophage was first discovered in Europe in 1970 near Milano in Italy. Since then, it has been spreading across the continent. In Ukraine, it was recorded for the first time in 2003. In 2020–2021, we found areas of massive leaf damage caused by the black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) in locations on Trukhaniv Island in Kyiv and some places in the Kyiv administrative region. Using 1041 georeferenced records of P. robiniella across Europe and a Bayesian additive regression trees algorithm (BART), we modeled the distribution of the moth. Predictors of current climate (WorldClim v.2, CliMond v.1.2 and ENVIREM) and a black locust habitat suitability raster were employed. Sets of SDMs built for P. robiniella with and without the habitat suitability raster for the host tree performed equally well. Amongst the factors that determine the niche of the locust digitate leafminer, most important are temperature-related conditions assumed to facilitate the spread and naturalization of the pest. In Ukraine, the appearance of the moth has coincided with increasing mean annual temperatures. Particularly favorable for the species are areas in the west and south-west of the country, and Transcarpathia. In the near future, the moth could reach locations in Nordic countries, Estonia, the British Isles, Black Sea coastal areas in Turkey, further into Russia, etc. Full article
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9 pages, 1164 KiB  
Article
Investigation of the Genetic Diversity of Dagestan Mountain Cattle Using STR-Markers
by Valeria V. Volkova, Alexandra S. Abdelmanova, Tatiana E. Deniskova, Olga S. Romanenkova, Abdusalam A. Khozhokov, Alimsoltan A. Ozdemirov, Alexander A. Sermyagin and Natalia A. Zinovieva
Diversity 2022, 14(7), 569; https://doi.org/10.3390/d14070569 - 16 Jul 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2277
Abstract
The Dagestan Mountain (DM) cattle breed was established to provide cheese and milk products to mountain dwellers in the specific conditions of the Republic of Dagestan in Southern Russia. Only 650 head of DM cattle were registered in 2020, and their “breed purity” [...] Read more.
The Dagestan Mountain (DM) cattle breed was established to provide cheese and milk products to mountain dwellers in the specific conditions of the Republic of Dagestan in Southern Russia. Only 650 head of DM cattle were registered in 2020, and their “breed purity” is questionable. We aimed to assess the genetic diversity and population structure of modern DM cattle using short tandem repeat (STR) markers. The sample included 150 animals collected from private owners in Dagestan during a scientific expedition (n = 32) and provided by a gene pool farm (n = 118). An additional 166 samples from other cattle breeds distributed in the breeding zone of DM cattle were used as the comparison groups. The genotypes for the 11 STR loci recommended by ISAG were obtained using a genetic analyzer. We identified a high level of genetic diversity as revealed by allelic richness calculations (Ar = 6.82 vs. 4.38–5.82 in other cattle breeds) and observed heterozygosity indices (uHe = 0.76 vs. 0.65–0.72). Based on the STRUCTURE results, animals with low levels of admixture with other breeds were found within the DM cattle, which can be considered as candidates for use in germplasm conservation programs. Full article
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