Coastal ecosystems play a major role in global carbon cycling and storage, yet the contribution of calcifying macroalgal habitats, such as coralline algal beds (CABs; rhodolith and maerl beds), remains poorly understood. Because carbon cycling in CABs is governed by community productivity and calcification, which exert opposing effects on seawater carbonate chemistry, understanding the balance between these processes is essent...

The global amphibian decline caused by the chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) threatens biodiversity. Some species, such as the bullfrog ( Aquarana catesbeiana ), can persist with infection without overt disease, yet the processes underlying this response remain unclear. Because bullfrogs are farmed worldwide under high-density conditions, understanding how production environments influence infection dynamics a...

Changes in land use can lead to substantial reductions in forest cover, stream environmental quality, and biodiversity. Understanding how the conversion of natural environments into different land-use types affects species replacement and richness differences, the main components of beta diversity, is therefore essential for identifying the processes structuring biological communities under intense anthropogenic pressure. Here...

Aim We investigate the distribution of dispersal modes — endozoochory (via animal ingestion), synzoochory (via animal seed accumulation) and anemochory (via wind)—and seed mass of woody plants across Brazilian ecosystems, testing whether their relative abundance in local plant communities could be predicted by climate, edaphic factors and dispersal agents (e.g., the main vectors moving seeds). We expected climate to be the mai...

Childhood trauma is associated with the development of psychiatric disorders in adulthood, including major depressive disorder (MDD). In preclinical research, animal models are widely used to investigate behavioral and neurobiological alterations related to depressive-like phenotypes, including anhedonia, anxiety-like behavior, and cognitive deficits. Several studies have shown that physical exercise is beneficial for MDD. How...

The Brazilian Atlantic Forest, a critical biodiversity hotspot, plays a vital role in climate regulation and water conservation. To explore the relationship between tree diversity and soil bacterial communities, soil samples were collected along an edapho-climatic gradient. We hypothesized that tropical forest soils, among Earth’s most complex biological environments, exhibit predictable microbial community assembly patterns d...

WHO ranked chronic inflammatory diseases as the most significant cause of death. The current therapeutic approach is the constant administration of clinically available anti-inflammatory drugs; however, this strategy presents severe side effects. New entities derived from plants have shown their potential for developing safe and effective therapies. Particularly, Echinacea purpurea extracts have demonstrated strong anti-inflam...

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a highly prevalent age-associated disorder and a leading cause of lower urinary tract symptoms in men worldwide. Given the limitations of current therapies, there is increasing interest in phytotherapeutic compounds as sources of biologically active agents. Acmella oleracea , a medicinal plant rich in the alkamide spilanthol, has been traditionally associated with urogenital effects; howev...