Glacial ecosystems of Central Asia represent extreme environments where microbial communities are shaped by both physicochemical conditions and hydrological dynamics. In this study, we analysed 21 surface and meltwater samples collected in September 2023 from a lake, river, glacier, glacial river, and sedimentary lake in the Zhongar Alatau National Park (Kazakhstan, 1 040–3 360 m a.s.l.). Bacterial community structure was assessed using ARISA profiling, while spectrometric methods determined concentrations of chemical elements. Alpha diversity indices revealed the highest richness and diversity in lake and sedimentary lake samples, moderate diversity in river samples, and the lowest values in glacier samples. The glacial river samples showed the strongest variability among the samples. Unique operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were most abundant in the lake, but the glacier exhibited the highest relative proportion of habitat-specific OTUs. Principal component analysis revealed that DNA yield, along with heavy metals and other elements (Rb, Fe, Mn, K, Ba), covaried along the major axes, primarily reflecting differences driven by habitat. Overall, our results demonstrate that glacial valley habitats host distinct bacterial assemblages and that the chemical environment is consistent with the observed spatial structuring of microbial communities. These findings highlight the vulnerability and sensitivity of mountain freshwater ecosystems to glacier retreat and associated changes in water chemistry.
The almond sawfly, _Cimbex quadrimaculata_ (Müller, 1766) (Hymenoptera: Cimbicidae), is an important defoliating insect primarily associated with almond and other rosaceous trees in Türkiye. During a visual survey conducted on 10 July 2026, five third-instar larvae of _Cimbex quadrimaculata_ were observed on a single five-year-old sour cherry tree (Prunus cerasus L.). The larvae were identified as _Cimbex quadrimaculata_ based on external morphological characters. Larval feeding was confirmed through continuous direct observation under natural conditions. Although the infestation level was low, the finding is noteworthy because, to the best of our knowledge, no published study has documented active larval feeding by _Cimbex quadrimaculata_ on Prunus cerasus under natural field conditions in Türkiye.The observation was made under high summer temperatures (approximately 38°C), when almond fruits had already reached maturity, whereas sour cherry trees still retained tender foliage suitable for larval feeding. This suggests that _C. quadrimaculata_ may occasionally utilize alternative rosaceous hosts late in the growing season when the primary host becomes less suitable. This study provides the first documented field record of active feeding by _C. quadrimaculata_ larvae on Prunus cerasus under natural conditions in Türkiye, thereby extending previous host records reported only at the genus (Prunus spp.) level.
On 10 July 2026, five larvae identified as _Cimbex quadrimaculata_ (Müller, 1766) (Hymenoptera: Cimbicidae) were observed feeding on the leaves of two sour cherry trees (_Prunus cerasus_ L.), with three larvae on one tree and two on the other in Sütlüce Village, Elazığ Province, Türkiye. All five individuals were followed for approximately five minutes, and active feeding and associated leaf injury were documented photographically. The record provides a dated, locality-specific observation of a previously reported plant association. It is not presented as the first record on _P. cerasus_. The short observation establishes feeding activity but does not demonstrate successful development on this plant, host preference, or an economic impact. Identification was based on comparison with previously identified reference specimens from a TÜBİTAK 3001 project, and the observed specimens are retained at Fırat University. Repeated surveys and rearing to adulthood would help establish the frequency of this association and the developmental suitability of _P. cerasus_.
Leaf rust, caused by Puccinia triticina, is the most common and worldwide-distributed disease of wheat cultivated everywhere. Worldwide, the variability of P. triticina isolates is large, and molecular detection of their polymorphism using SSR targeting Slovak isolates has not been carried out so far. For this reason, this study dealt with polymorphism detection using SSR (simple sequence repeat) combined with virulence analysis and statistical processing of thirty leaf rust isolates collected from one location in Slovakia in 2020. This location is specific because several hundred cereal genetic resources have been yearly propagated there since 1996. Twenty-two virulence phenotypes and thirty SSR genotypes of P. triticina were detected. Resistance genes strongly influencing the virulence variability of the isolates in the given location were mainly Lr1, Lr15, Lr24, Lr26, Lr2c, and Lr2b. All isolates were virulent against Lr3a and Lr13, and avirulent to Lr9 and Lr19, so these genes did not influence pathogen virulence variability. Using 15 SSR primers, 60 different alleles were detected, with an average of 4 alleles per locus. The SSR markers PtSSR68, PtSSR154, and RB11 had the greatest ability to detect polymorphism in Slovak leaf rust isolates in this location. Based on structure analysis, a set of 30 P. triticina isolates was divided into two groups. These groups differed in the degree of genetic variability of individual isolates, and their difference was statistically significant. A high number of heterozygous alleles, significant deviation from Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium, and no Mantel correlation between genetic and virulence variability revealed the presence of clonal reproduction of the P. triticina. These results regarding the high genetic variability detected in Slovak isolates collected from one location may be due to the sampling site, where hundreds of genetic resources of cereals, primary, and potential P. triticina hosts have been propagated for decades.
This study presents the results of the relationships between elemental and microbial structure (bacterial fragments) in the glacial region of the Zhongar Alatau Mountains. Water samples were collected from selected sites of the glacial system and subsequently filtered. The highest diversity and species richness of bacteria was found in glacial lakes and the lowest in glaciers. The species evenness indicates that there is a certain dominant bacterial species in glaciers. The species richness of bacteria was positively correlated with the concentration of biotic chemical elements. Community evenness or balance was positively related to chromium concentration but negatively related to mercury concentration. We confirmed synergistic accumulation of manganese, rubidium, potassium, barium and iron in glaciers. Bacteria varied significantly in subglacial moulds. Bacterial communities from glaciers and sediments of subglacial lakes differed significantly. All these factors may be related to anthropogenic pollution; glacier melt and dust storms in the study area. Investigations of bacterial communities and concentrations of chemical elements in the waters of glacial valleys of Zhongar Alatau show that synergistic concentrations of some chemical elements have their analogy in the occurrence of bacterial communities. Finally, we found that the primary chemical environment of glacial valleys correlated with spatial patterns of bacterial community structure.
