How did rhythm originate in humans, and other species? One cross-cultural universal, frequently found in human music, is isochrony: when note onsets repeat regularly like the ticking of a clock. Another universal consists of synchrony, e.g., when individuals coordinate their notes so that they are sung at the same time. An approach to biomusicology focuses on similarities and differences across species, trying to build phylogenies of musical traits. Here we test for the presence of,...

Plastic mulch film residues have been accumulating in agricultural soils for decades, but so far, little is known about its consequences on soil microbial communities and functions. Here, we tested the effects of plastic residues of low-density polyethylene and biodegradable mulch films on soil suppressiveness and microbial community composition. We investigated how plastic residues in a Fusarium culmorum suppressive soil affect the level of disease suppressiveness, plant biomass, nutrient status, and microbial communities in rhizosphere...

Additional file 4: Table S3. Significant differentially methylated genes in endocrine hypertension.

Many parasites interfere with the behaviour of their hosts. In social animals, such as ants, parasitic interference can cause changes on the level of the individual and also on the level of the society. The ant-parasitic fungus Rickia wasmannii influences the behaviour of Myrmica ants by expanding the host’s nestmate recognition template, thereby increasing the chance of the colony accepting infected non-nestmates. Infected ants consistently show an increase of the alkane tricosane (n-C23) in their...

The use of molecular data for living groups is vital for interpreting fossils, especially when morphology-only analyses retrieve problematic phylogenies for living forms. These topological discrepancies impact on the inferred phylogenetic position of many fossil taxa. In Crocodylia, morphology-based phylogenetic inferences differ fundamentally in placing Gavialis basal to all other living forms, whereas molecular data consistently unite it with crocodylids. The Cenomanian Portugalosuchus azenhae was recently described as the oldest crown crocodilian, with affinities to...

The chamois Rupicapra spp. is the most abundant mountain ungulate of Europe and the Near East, where it occurs as two species, the Northern chamois R. rupicapra and the Southern chamois R. pyrenaica. Here, we provide a state-of-the-art overview of research trends and the most challenging issues in chamois research and conservation, focusing on taxonomy and systematics, genetics, life history, ecology and behavior, physiology and disease, management, and conservation. Research on Rupicapra has a longstanding...

Objective: This study assessed amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) incidence in Sardinia, Italy, and the combined contribution of age and gender to disease risk. We also checked disease incidence for spatial–temporal variability. Methods: ALS patients from all neurological centers of the study area who had onset during 2010–2019 and fulfilled El Escorial revised diagnostic criteria were included. Incidence was calculated for the overall study area and each province separately. Additive interaction between age and sex on...

Additional file 2: Table S1. Differentially methylated CpG sites in endocrine hypertension.

Additional file 3: Table S2. Enriched signaling pathways in endocrine hypertension.

Additional file 4: Table S3. Significant differentially methylated genes in endocrine hypertension.

Additional file 5: Table S5. Sample characteristics.

Additional file 5: Table S5. Sample characteristics.

Additional file 6: Table S6. Methylome-based estimation of blood cell composition.

Additional file 2. Supplementary Tables S1, S2, and S3.

The increasing disturbances in monocultures around the world are testimony to their instability under global change. Many studies have claimed that temporal stability of productivity increase with species richness, although the ecological fundaments have mainly been investigated through diversity experiments. To adequately manage forest ecosystems, it is necessary to have a comprehensive understanding of the effect of mixing species on the temporal stability of productivity and the way in which this it is influenced by...

Body size is an important species trait, correlating with lifespan, fecundity, and other ecological factors. Over Earth’s geological history, climate shifts have occurred, potentially shaping body size evolution in many clades. General rules attempting to summarize body size evolution include Bergmann’s rule, which states that species grow to larger sizes in cooler environments and smaller sizes in warmer environments; and Cope’s rule, which poses that lineages tend to increase in size over evolutionary time. Tetraodontiform...

Additional file 3: Table S2. Enriched signaling pathways in endocrine hypertension.

Additional file 6: Table S6. Methylome-based estimation of blood cell composition.

Additional file 2. Supplementary Tables S1, S2, and S3.

Objective: This study assessed amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) incidence in Sardinia, Italy, and the combined contribution of age and gender to disease risk. We also checked disease incidence for spatial–temporal variability. Methods: ALS patients from all neurological centers of the study area who had onset during 2010–2019 and fulfilled El Escorial revised diagnostic criteria were included. Incidence was calculated for the overall study area and each province separately. Additive interaction between age and sex on...

Additional file 2: Table S1. Differentially methylated CpG sites in endocrine hypertension.

Trichophyton erinacei is a main cause of dermatophytosis in hedgehogs and is increasingly reported from human infections worldwide. This pathogen was originally described in the European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus) but is also frequently found in the African four-toed hedgehog (Atelerix albiventris), a popular pet animal worldwide. Little is known about the taxonomy and population genetics of this pathogen despite its increasing importance in clinical practice. Notably, whether there are different populations or even cryptic species...