Urban wastewater systems represent important interfaces between human activity and the environmental occurrence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) markers. We assessed the temporal dynamics of intI1 , ermB , and the 16 S rRNA gene by quantitative PCR across three wastewater systems (EPC, CJC, and JW) in Fortaleza, Brazil, from November 2021 to November 2023. Bacterial communities were additionally characterized by 16 S rRNA gen...

Urban freshwater ecosystems are increasingly exposed to mixtures of pollutants, including per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). However, their ecological effects remain poorly understood, especially in tropical regions with limited sanitation infrastructure. This study investigated PFAS contamination, water quality, and microbial community structure in Pampulha Lake, a tropical urban reservoir in southeastern Brazil. Spa...

Earth's biodiversity is central to ecosystem health and resilience, providing essential functions and services. The Red Sea is a recognised marine biodiversity hotspot with high endemism and unique environmental conditions that support extensive but poorly resolved biodiversity. Here, we applied metagenomic analyses to sediment samples collected from coastal to deep‐sea environments during the Red Sea Decade Expedition 2022 to...

Colonial corals display diverse growth forms shaped by both environmental conditions and intrinsic developmental mechanisms. Understanding these internal morphogenetic rules is critical for accurately modeling coral colony formation. In this study, we investigated the intrinsic budding patterns of Dendrophyllia cf. horsti , an azooxanthellate deep-sea coral from the Red Sea. Using detailed morphological analyses of colony arch...

In its early years, the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration has mobilized unprecedented global commitments. Yet, measuring restoration success remains contested, particularly in megadiverse countries where the absence of standardized indicators and assessment protocols often leads to subjective decisions by environmental agencies. Here, we present a core set of leading indicators developed through a pioneering Brazil-led scienc...

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...

As many tropical aquatic ecosystems worldwide, the Doce River estuary (DRE, southeastern Brazil) has increasingly faced multiple anthropogenic threats, including deforestation, mining, species introduction and water management. The 2015 collapse of the Fundão iron ore tailings dam severely changed water properties and increased heavy metal concentration in sediment. However, the potential synergistic effects of the observed th...

The arrival of Europeans in the Americas in 1492 initiated new transatlantic connections that, through colonial expansion and trade networks, brought useful plants to Europe. This study investigates archaeobotanical and historical evidence for the introduction of American plants to Europe from the late fifteenth to the twentieth century. We compiled 183 archaeobotanical records from 14 countries, representing 24 taxa from 11 b...

Aluminum (Al) toxicity is the main factor limiting agricultural production in acidic soils around the world. In this scenario, melatonin (MET) has emerged as a promising approach to alleviate Al toxicity. Thus, we investigated morphophysiological responses of Pfaffia glomerata (Spreng.) Pedersen, a medicinal plant, to Al toxicity and MET application. Plants were grown in vitro for 40 days in MS medium (control) supplemented wi...