@article{RistowPanitsaMeyeretal.2022, author = {Ristow, Michael and Panitsa, Maria and Meyer, Stefan and Bergmeier, Erwin}, title = {Factors of detection deficits in vascular plant inventories - an island case study}, series = {Diversity}, volume = {14}, journal = {Diversity}, number = {4}, publisher = {MDPI}, address = {Basel}, issn = {1424-2818}, doi = {10.3390/d14040303}, pages = {12}, year = {2022}, abstract = {The degree of completeness of large-scale floristic inventories is often difficult to judge. We compared prior vascular plant species inventories of the Mediterranean island of Limnos (North Aegean, Greece) with 231 recent records from 2016-2021. Together with the recent records, the known number of vascular plant species on the island is 960 native taxa, 63 established neophytes, and 27 species of as yet casual status for a total of 1050 taxa. We looked at a number of traits (plant family, size, flower color, perceptibility, habitat, reproduction period, rarity, and status) to investigate whether they were overrepresented in the dataset of the newly found taxa. Overrepresentation was found in some plant families (e.g., Poaceae and Chenopodiaceae) and for traits such as hydrophytic life form, unobtrusive flower color, coastal as well as agricultural and ruderal habitats, and late (summer/autumn) reproduction period. Apart from the well-known fact of esthetic bias, we found evidence for ecological and perceptibility biases. Plant species inventories based on prior piecemeal collated data should focus on regionally specific species groups and underrepresented and rare habitats.}, language = {en} } @article{RaafatMrochenAl’Sholuietal.2020, author = {Raafat, Dina and Mrochen, Daniel M. and Al'Sholui, Fawaz and Heuser, Elisa and Ryll, Ren{\´e} and Pritchett-Corning, Kathleen R. and Jacob, Jens and Walther, Bernd and Matuschka, Franz-Rainer and Richter, Dania}, title = {Molecular epidemiology of methicillin-susceptible and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in wild, captive and laboratory rats}, series = {Toxins}, volume = {12}, journal = {Toxins}, number = {2}, publisher = {MDPI}, address = {Basel}, issn = {2072-6651}, doi = {10.3390/toxins12020080}, pages = {1 -- 22}, year = {2020}, abstract = {Rats are a reservoir of human- and livestock-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). However, the composition of the natural S. aureus population in wild and laboratory rats is largely unknown. Here, 144 nasal S. aureus isolates from free-living wild rats, captive wild rats and laboratory rats were genotyped and profiled for antibiotic resistances and human-specific virulence genes. The nasal S. aureus carriage rate was higher among wild rats (23.4\%) than laboratory rats (12.3\%). Free-living wild rats were primarily colonized with isolates of clonal complex (CC) 49 and CC130 and maintained these strains even in husbandry. Moreover, upon livestock contact, CC398 isolates were acquired. In contrast, laboratory rats were colonized with many different S. aureus lineages—many of which are commonly found in humans. Five captive wild rats were colonized with CC398-MRSA. Moreover, a single CC30-MRSA and two CC130-MRSA were detected in free-living or captive wild rats. Rat-derived S. aureus isolates rarely harbored the phage-carried immune evasion gene cluster or superantigen genes, suggesting long-term adaptation to their host. Taken together, our study revealed a natural S. aureus population in wild rats, as well as a colonization pressure on wild and laboratory rats by exposure to livestock- and human-associated S. aureus, respectively.}, language = {en} } @article{FischerMayerSchollImholtetal.2018, author = {Fischer, Stefan and Mayer-Scholl, Anne and Imholt, Christian and Spierling, Nastasja G. and Heuser, Elisa and Schmidt, Sabrina and Reil, Daniela and Rosenfeld, Ulrike M. and Jacob, Jens and N{\"o}ckler, Karsten and Ulrich, Rainer G.}, title = {Leptospira genomospecies and sequence type prevalence in small mammal populations in Germany}, series = {Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases}, volume = {18}, journal = {Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases}, number = {4}, publisher = {Liebert}, address = {New Rochelle}, issn = {1530-3667}, doi = {10.1089/vbz.2017.2140}, pages = {188 -- 199}, year = {2018}, abstract = {Leptospirosis is a worldwide emerging infectious disease caused by zoonotic bacteria of the genus Leptospira. Numerous mammals, including domestic and companion animals, can be infected by Leptospira spp., but rodents and other small mammals are considered the main reservoir. The annual number of recorded human leptospirosis cases in Germany (2001-2016) was 25-166. Field fever outbreaks in strawberry pickers, due to infection with Leptospira kirschneri serovar Grippotyphosa, were reported in 2007 and 2014. To identify the most commonly occurring Leptospira genomospecies, sequence types (STs), and their small mammal host specificity, a monitoring study was performed during 2010-2014 in four federal states of Germany. Initial screening of kidney tissues of 3,950 animals by PCR targeting the lipl32 gene revealed 435 rodents of 6 species and 89 shrews of three species positive for leptospiral DNA. PCR-based analyses resulted in the identification of the genomospecies L. kirschneri (62.7\%), Leptospira interrogans (28.3\%), and Leptospira borgpetersenii (9.0\%), which are represented by four, one, and two STs, respectively. The average Leptospira prevalence was highest (approximate to 30\%) in common voles (Microtus arvalis) and field voles (Microtus agrestis). Both species were exclusively infected with L. kirschneri. In contrast, in bank voles (Myodes glareolus) and yellow-necked mice (Apodemus flavicollis), DNA of all three genomospecies was detected, and in common shrews (Sorex araneus) DNA of L. kirschneri and L. borgpetersenii was identified. The association between individual infection status and demographic factors varied between species; infection status was always positively correlated to body weight. In conclusion, the study confirmed a broad geographical distribution of Leptospira in small mammals and suggested an important public health relevance of common and field voles as reservoirs of L. kirschneri. Furthermore, the investigations identified seasonal, habitat-related, as well as individual influences on Leptospira prevalence in small mammals that might impact public health.}, language = {en} } @article{SchulzeMakuchWagnerKounavesetal.2018, author = {Schulze-Makuch, Dirk and Wagner, Dirk and Kounaves, Samuel P. and Mangelsdorf, Kai and Devine, Kevin G. and de Vera, Jean-Pierre and Schmitt-Kopplin, Philippe and Grossart, Hans-Peter and Parro, Victor and Kaupenjohann, Martin and Galy, Albert and Schneider, Beate and Airo, Alessandro and Froesler, Jan and Davila, Alfonso F. and Arens, Felix L. and Caceres, Luis and Cornejo, Francisco Solis and Carrizo, Daniel and Dartnell, Lewis and DiRuggiero, Jocelyne and Flury, Markus and Ganzert, Lars and Gessner, Mark O. and Grathwohl, Peter and Guan, Lisa and Heinz, Jacob and Hess, Matthias and Keppler, Frank and Maus, Deborah and McKay, Christopher P. and Meckenstock, Rainer U. and Montgomery, Wren and Oberlin, Elizabeth A. and Probst, Alexander J. and Saenz, Johan S. and Sattler, Tobias and Schirmack, Janosch and Sephton, Mark A. and Schloter, Michael and Uhl, Jenny and Valenzuela, Bernardita and Vestergaard, Gisle and Woermer, Lars and Zamorano, Pedro}, title = {Transitory microbial habitat in the hyperarid Atacama Desert}, series = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America}, volume = {115}, journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America}, number = {11}, publisher = {National Acad. of Sciences}, address = {Washington}, issn = {0027-8424}, doi = {10.1073/pnas.1714341115}, pages = {2670 -- 2675}, year = {2018}, language = {en} }