The Science of Nature最新文献

{"title":"DCA-1 and DCA-2 proteins of Dromaius novaehollandiae are involved in regulating the chemical microenvironment during the nucleation and growth of CaCO₃ in eggshell formation","authors":"Ariadna Guadalupe Guardado-Urbina,&nbsp;René Loredo-Portales,&nbsp;María J. Rosales-Hoz,&nbsp;Abel Moreno,&nbsp;Mayra Cuéllar-Cruz","doi":"10.1007/s00114-026-02188-y","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00114-026-02188-y","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Bird eggshells are complex biomineralized materials composed of a mineral phase and an organic matrix that regulates crystal growth. In this study, we characterized the eggshell of <i>Dromaius novaehollandiae</i> using structural, chemical, proteomic, and in silico approaches to explore the role of intramineral proteins in biomineralization. Scanning Electron Microscopy coupled with Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (SEM–EDS), Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) analyses showed that calcite is the predominant mineral phase; however, structural and chemical differences were identified compared to <i>Gallus gallus</i>, particularly in the organization of the internal fibrillar network and in components associated with the organic matrix. Proteomic analysis identified biomineralization-related proteins, including DCA-1 and DCA-2. Subsequently, microtitration and crystal growth assays showed that the protein fractions exhibit functional activity in Ca²⁺ and CO₃²⁻/HCO₃⁻ systems, suggesting differential affinities for Ca²⁺ and CO₃²⁻ species. Additionally, structural modeling using AlphaFold3 yielded the first three-dimensional models of DCA-1 and DCA-2 interacting with Ca²⁺ and CO₃²⁻. The models revealed distinct interaction patterns: DCA-1 exhibited a more distributed stabilization network for carbonate, whereas DCA-2 showed more concentrated regions associated with calcium and a more localized interaction with CO₃²⁻. Taken together, the results suggest that DCA-1 and DCA-2 participate complementarily in regulating the mineralizing microenvironment during shell formation made of calcite. This study provides new structural and functional evidence on intramineral proteins in paleognaths and contributes to understanding ancestral mechanisms of biomineralization.</p><h3>Graphical abstract</h3><div><figure><div><div><picture><source><img></source></picture></div></div></figure></div></div>","PeriodicalId":794,"journal":{"name":"The Science of Nature","volume":"113 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-10-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149293781","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Rethinking hydrothermal vents: a structural ecology perspective on the early emergence of metabolic roles","authors":"Shinya Kato","doi":"10.1007/s00114-026-02189-x","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00114-026-02189-x","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Hydrothermal vents are widely considered plausible settings for the origin of life, owing to their steep redox gradients and the availability of chemical energy. Their capacity to support organic synthesis, molecular retention, and breakdown varies with local conditions. Here, I propose a conceptual framework for assessing whether connected environments could support complementary prebiotic chemical functions. Hydrothermal systems may contribute to the breakdown and reuse of supplied organic compounds alongside their constructive roles, while ice–water interfaces may support concentration, selected synthetic reactions, and product retention when suitable reactants are available. Producer-like, consumer-like, and decomposer-like functions are used as nonexclusive analogies for chemical production, use of supplied organic compounds, and breakdown yielding potentially reusable products; they do not denote demonstrated abiotic metabolisms. The central hypothesis is that life’s beginnings may have depended partly on transitions between environments, rather than on processes within any single environment alone. This proposal can be assessed by comparing coupled and isolated reaction systems for product survival, reuse, and sustained reaction activity. The article presents no new experimental validation, and neither the proposed environmental connections nor their contribution to the emergence of heritable metabolism or the last universal common ancestor is established.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":794,"journal":{"name":"The Science of Nature","volume":"113 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-10-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13714024/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149284563","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Oldest North American orthostern scorpion from the Carboniferous (Pennsylvanian: Bashkirian) Pottsville Formation of Alabama, USA","authors":"Gen A. Conway,&nbsp;Russell D. C. Bicknell,&nbsp;Bruno A. Buzatto,&nbsp;Adiël A. Klompmaker","doi":"10.1007/s00114-026-02180-6","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00114-026-02180-6","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Scorpions are an ancient chelicerate group with a fossil record extending back to the Silurian and a peak in reported fossil forms during the Carboniferous. Most Carboniferous scorpions are from Coal Measures sites, a small number of which exceptionally preserve evidence of respiratory structures. To expand the record of such material, we present a new fossil scorpion specimen from the Pennsylvanian (Bashkirian) Pottsville Formation from the Union Chapel Mine, Alabama, USA. We demonstrate that UV imagery is a useful tool for examining fossil scorpions, as it can clearly illustrate exoskeletal sections, and other important morphological structures. This specimen shows probable intrasternal spiracles, illustrating this is one of the oldest members of the derived scorpion infraorder Orthosterni, and potentially preserves evidence of book lungs. Due to the lack of taxonomically important features, such as coxosternal morphologies, we cannot identify the specimen beyond Orthosterni. We used Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (EDS) to explore fossil preservation, determining the specimen is preserved almost entirely as carbon, indicating it had undergone kerogenisation. This body fossil complements walking trace fossils from the same site attributed to scorpions, represents the first fossil scorpion from the southeastern USA, and provides more evidence for extensive diagenetic alteration of cuticle in fossil scorpions from Coal Measures.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":794,"journal":{"name":"The Science of Nature","volume":"113 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-10-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13714017/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149284560","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Assessing physiological traits responses of Panicum turgidum under desert environments: a prospect for desert restoration","authors":"Muhammad Akram,&nbsp;Nargis Naz,&nbsp;Shafa Ilgar Karimova,&nbsp;Hafiz Muhammad Mohsin Hassan,&nbsp;Ummar Iqbal,&nbsp;Lamy Mamdoh Mohamed Hamed,&nbsp;ElSayed A Badr,&nbsp;Mohamed M. El-Mogy,&nbsp;Husameldin H. Mahmoud,&nbsp;Faleh A. Ameen","doi":"10.1007/s00114-026-02184-2","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00114-026-02184-2","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The Present study aims to examine the physiological adaptability of <i>Panicum turgidum</i> growing in three different habitats: sand dunes, sandy plains, and saline areas. To assess how well plants adapted to rising salinity, physicochemical features of the soil, photosynthetic pigments, biochemical traits, and ionic contents were examined in root and stem tissues of <i>P. turgidum</i>. Five subsites were selected from each habitat, and the quadrat method was applied for vegetative sampling. Outcomes revealed that electrical conductivity (41.3 ± 0.3 dS m⁻¹) and concentrations of Na⁺ (4967.9 ± 0.2 mg L⁻¹) and Cl⁻ (2431.7 ± 0.3 mg L⁻¹) increased from dunes to saline environments, indicating a distinct salinity gradient in the soil. However, under saline circumstances, chlorophyll <i>a</i> and <i>b</i> dramatically decreased, suggesting stress effects on photosynthesis. Osmolytes and stress-related metabolites, such as proline (294.8 ± 1.13 µg g^− 1 FW), free amino acids (1593.7 ± 2.83 µg g^− 1 FW), soluble proteins (1706.5 ± 1.07 µg g^− 1 FW), and total soluble sugars (28.71 ± 0.44 mg g^− 1 DW), gradually increased in saline environments. Antioxidants, including flavonoids (3.846 ± 0.04 mg g^− 1 DW) and phenolics (11.35 ± 0.01 µg g^− 1 FW), also showed greater accumulation in saline conditions, indicating improved protection against oxidative stress. The ion accumulation showed higher Na⁺ and Cl⁻ buildup in root and stem tissues, together with controlled levels of K⁺ and Ca²⁺. These findings indicate that <i>P. turgidum</i> has coordinated physiological responses that may help its survival in saline desert environments, including osmotic adjustment, antioxidant resistance, and ion control. These results suggest that <i>P. turgidum</i> may useful in future studies associated with saline land restoration and desert surroundings.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":794,"journal":{"name":"The Science of Nature","volume":"113 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-10-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149234431","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Tissue expression of aquaporin-5 and cytochrome c as potential forensic biomarkers of drowning: Evidence from an experimental rat model","authors":"Emina Dervišević,&nbsp;Hedim Osmanović,&nbsp;Muhamed Katica,&nbsp;Aida Bešić,&nbsp;Mirza Čelebičić,&nbsp;Teufik Goletić,&nbsp;Ilma Terzić,&nbsp;Emina Šabić,&nbsp;Aida Selmanagić,&nbsp;Hajrudin Spahović,&nbsp;Muamer Dervišević,&nbsp;Eva Montanari,&nbsp;Angelo Montana","doi":"10.1007/s00114-026-02187-z","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00114-026-02187-z","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Determining whether a person died from drowning remains a major forensic challenge, particularly in cases involving advanced decomposition where only skeletal remains are available. Traditional methods, such as diatom analysis and macroscopic autopsy findings, often lack sufficient specificity and reliability. Although several molecular biomarkers have been investigated, none has yet demonstrated sufficient accuracy for routine forensic application. This prospective experimental study evaluated a novel dual-biomarker approach using Aquaporin 5 (AQP5), a water channel protein, and Cytochrome c (CYCS), an apoptosis-related protein, as potential indicators of drowning. Thirty-eight adult Wistar rats were randomly assigned to experimental drowning groups or non-drowning control groups (exposed to freshwater from Boračko and Jablaničko lakes. Lung, femoral bone, and dental tissues were collected postmortem, and AQP5 and CYCS concentrations were quantified using commercially available ELISA kits. Statistical analyses included the Shapiro–Wilk test and the Mann–Whitney U test, with statistical significance set at <i>p</i> &lt; 0.05. AQP5 expression in dental tissue differed significantly between drowning and control groups in both freshwater environments (<i>p</i> = 0.0184 and p = 0.0235), whereas no significant differences were observed in lung or bone tissues. CYCS expression did not differ significantly between drowning and control groups in any tissue examined. These findings suggest that AQP5 expression in dental tissue may represent a promising supplementary biomarker for the forensic diagnosis of drowning, particularly in cases where only skeletal remains are available. Further validation in human tissues and larger experimental cohorts is warranted.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":794,"journal":{"name":"The Science of Nature","volume":"113 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-10-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149226745","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Continuous and asymmetric dorsal–ventral abundance associations along the wing in feather mite communities","authors":"Masaoki Takagi,&nbsp;Miho Iwasaki,&nbsp;Naoya Yasuda,&nbsp;So Shiraiwa,&nbsp;Toru Katoh,&nbsp;Gen Takaku","doi":"10.1007/s00114-026-02182-4","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00114-026-02182-4","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Feather mites are permanent ectosymbionts that occupy discrete feather microhabitats; however, little is known about how associations between dorsal and ventral taxa vary along continuous wing gradients. We examined feather-level spatial abundance associations between dorsal and ventral feather mites along the proximodistal axis of the wing in the Siberian Rubythroat (<i>Calliope calliope</i>) via nonlinear mixed-effects models. Dorsal feather mites (<i>Trouessartia calliope</i>) were largely absent from distal outer remiges (flight feathers) and increased toward proximal body-side remiges, whereas ventral feather mites (<i>Proctophyllodes</i> sp.) exhibited a positional gradient along the wing. When averaged across positions, the dorsal and ventral abundances showed only weak overall associations. However, position-specific analyses revealed that the dorsal–ventral slope was positive in distal outer remiges, declined toward mid-wing positions, and approached weakly negative values in the innermost secondaries. Because dorsal abundance was minimal distally, positive slopes in that region should not be interpreted as evidence of stable coexistence and may reflect responses to environmental constraints associated with distal wing positions. This position-dependent association was detected in breeding adult birds but not in juvenile birds, suggesting age-related differences in within-host spatial organization that may reflect the shorter time since mite transmission to juveniles and subsequent community assembly. Feather mite abundances were bilaterally symmetrical and showed no consistent effects of sex, date, or year, suggesting that host-level morphological stability provides a consistent spatial template for parasite organization. Together, these findings demonstrate that within-host feather mite assemblages exhibit spatially heterogeneous abundance associations along the wing, highlighting the importance of fine-scale spatial variation for understanding the organization and potential ecological relationships of cooccurring parasite taxa.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":794,"journal":{"name":"The Science of Nature","volume":"113 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-10-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149226959","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Integrating airborne chemical ecology with informed intercropping for sustainable crop protection","authors":"Sourav Manna,&nbsp;Ishita Paul,&nbsp;Mousumi Poddar Sarkar","doi":"10.1007/s00114-026-02175-3","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00114-026-02175-3","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The role of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in plant-insect interactions has been studied in detail in recent decades, especially in the context of environment-friendly integrated pest management (IPM) in agroecosystems. Field-based study and behavioural investigations have shown that specific VOCs (or combinations of VOCs) of companion crops are crucial in diverting phytophagous insects from main food or cash crops, along with attracting beneficial insects which decimate pest species. The functional mechanisms of these olfactory cues, however, are not always clear and distinctive, especially since these ecological interactions are highly variable. The complex ‘odourscapes’ occurring in mixed cropping systems are determined by species-specific interactions, local climate, prevalent agricultural/landscaping practices, and other environmental factors which need to be examined in localized contexts. This review aims to cover the dynamics and mechanisms of VOCs mediating plant-insect interactions in mixed crop settings, the variables and technical constraints to be considered for implementing these interactions for cost-effective IPM, and potential challenges presented by ecological fine-tuning of such interactions.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":794,"journal":{"name":"The Science of Nature","volume":"113 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-10-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149223004","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"First occurrence of a herrerasaurid dinosaur in a traversodontid cynodont-dominated Late Triassic fauna of southern Brazil","authors":"Rodrigo Temp Müller","doi":"10.1007/s00114-026-02185-1","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00114-026-02185-1","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Herrerasauridae comprises the oldest large-bodied predatory dinosaurs and is currently known exclusively from the Carnian (Late Triassic) of South America. In both Argentina and Brazil, herrerasaurid occurrences have previously been restricted to rhynchosaur-dominated assemblages, with no records from younger strata characterized by the abundance of the traversodontid cynodont <i>Exaeretodon</i>. Here, I describe CAPPA/UFSM 0539, a partial left pubis recovered from the <i>Exaeretodon</i>-dominated strata of the <i>Hyperodapedon</i> Assemblage Zone (AZ) of southern Brazil. The specimen preserves a combination of pubic features that is currently unique to herrerasaurids, including a well-developed pubic boot with anterior and posterior distal expansions. A phylogenetic analysis further supports its referral to an indeterminate herrerasaurid. This specimen represents the first record of Herrerasauridae from the <i>Exaeretodon</i>-dominated strata, demonstrating that members of the clade persisted despite the faunal turnover associated with the decline of rhynchosaurs and the increasing abundance of <i>Exaeretodon</i>. The occurrence expands the known diversity of large predators in these ecosystems and suggests that herrerasaurids retained the ecological plasticity to occupy apex predatory roles under changing community compositions. If the Brazilian <i>Exaeretodon</i>-dominated strata are younger than the <i>Hyperodapedon</i> Acme Zone, CAPPA/UFSM 0539 may also represent the youngest known record of Herrerasauridae worldwide.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":794,"journal":{"name":"The Science of Nature","volume":"113 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-10-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13680303/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149222971","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The earliest euantiarch from the Pragian (Early Devonian) of Guangnan, Yunnan Province, China","authors":"Zumin Xian,&nbsp;Qinyuan Xue,&nbsp;Yingtian Zhao,&nbsp;Qiang Li,&nbsp;Min Zhu","doi":"10.1007/s00114-026-02186-0","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00114-026-02186-0","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Antiarchs represent a highly specialized clade of early jawed vertebrates adapted to benthic habitats and form a major component of Devonian aquatic ecosystems. Euantiarchs, the most diverse antiarch clade, previously had their earliest record from the Emsian of the Early Devonian in China. They achieved a nearly cosmopolitan distribution during the Middle to Late Devonian. Here, we describe a new euantiarch, <i>Yangfanyu anachoresis</i> gen. et sp. nov., based on articulated specimens from the Pragian (Early Devonian, ~ 410 Ma) of Guangnan, Wenshan Prefecture, Yunnan Province, southwestern China. Using X-ray computed tomography and three-dimensional digital visualization, we reconstructed the complete dermal head and trunk shields. In addition to diagnostic euantiarch characters, <i>Yangfanyu</i> retains several plesiomorphic features, notably the cavity for the cranio-spinal process and the oblique ridge on the lateral wall of the trunk shield. Phylogenetic analysis placed <i>Yangfanyu</i> at the most basal position among euantiarchs, forming the sister taxon to all other euantiarchs. This placement extends the fossil record of Euantiarcha by approximately 10 million years, refines character polarity at the base of the clade, and indicates that the characteristic euantiarch morphology was assembled progressively through the sequential acquisition of derived characters during the earliest stages of euantiarch evolution.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":794,"journal":{"name":"The Science of Nature","volume":"113 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-10-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149222981","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Chronic oral toxicity of lithium citrate in honeybees (Apis mellifera L.): impacts on survival, midgut histopathology and gut microbiota","authors":"Hidayet Tutun,&nbsp;Sedat Sevin,&nbsp;Pelin Taş,&nbsp;Özge Özgenç Çınar,&nbsp;Babür Erdem,&nbsp;Ahmet Ceylan,&nbsp;Emre Keskin","doi":"10.1007/s00114-026-02179-z","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00114-026-02179-z","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The search for effective alternatives to conventional acaricides has positioned lithium as a promising experimental candidate for controlling <i>Varroa destructor</i>; however, its physiological impact on the honeybee (<i>Apis mellifera</i>) remains insufficiently characterized. This study evaluated the chronic oral toxicity of lithium citrate over a 10-day exposure period, focusing on survival, midgut histopathological changes, and gut microbiota dynamics. Newly emerged bees were exposed to sugar syrup containing 12.5, 25, and 50 mM lithium citrate. Mortality increased monotonically with dose: 10-day survival was 0.94 in the control and 0.84, 0.22, and 0 at 12.5, 25, and 50 mM, respectively (all pairwise contrasts significant, Benjamini-Hochberg correction). Histological analysis of the midgut revealed pronounced epithelial damage, characterized by severe desquamation and cellular shedding into the lumen, even at the lower dose of 12.5 mM, with the highest severity at 12.5 mM rather than 25 mM; the peritrophic membrane remained intact in all groups. Furthermore, 16S rRNA gene sequencing revealed variation in the relative abundance of several core gut bacteria across treatment groups, although neither alpha- nor beta-diversity differed significantly among groups. At the highest lithium concentration (25 mM), <i>Gilliamella</i> showed a markedly lower median relative abundance, whereas <i>Frischella</i> was relatively more abundant; however, these patterns were not statistically supported by differential abundance analysis and did not indicate a consistent concentration-dependent response. Given the limited number of biological replicates (<i>n</i> = 3 per group), these compositional patterns should be regarded as preliminary. These findings suggest that lithium citrate, despite its varroacidal potential, acts as a significant physiological stressor, compromising the structural integrity of the digestive tract and disrupting microbial homeostasis. Consequently, the development of lithium-based treatments must carefully consider both lethal and sublethal effects at the individual level, and colony-level consequences remain to be evaluated.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":794,"journal":{"name":"The Science of Nature","volume":"113 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-10-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149178524","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}