Deer keds are hematophagous ectoparasites (Diptera: Hippoboscidae) that mainly parasitize Cervidae. These flies are particularly important for animal health due to the occurrence of numerous pathogenic microorganisms. They may also attack humans and their bites may cause allergenic symptoms. The aim of the study was to identify the molecular characteristics of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato and Bartonella spp. pathogens detected in Lipoptena spp. sampled both from the hosts and from the environment. For identification of Bartonella spp and B. burgdorferi s. l., the primers specific to the rpoB and flaB gene fragments were used, respectively. The overall prevalence of B. burgdorferi s.l. DNA in Lipoptena cervi was 14.04%, including 14.8% infection in the tested group of winged specimens. The overall prevalence of Bartonella spp. was 57.02%. The presence of these bacteria was detected in 53.5% of specimens of L. cervi and 75.7% of L. fortisetosa. The phylogenetic analysis showed five new haplotypes of the rpoB gene of Bartonella sp. isolated from L. cervi/Lipoptena fortisetosa. We also identified one new haplotype of B. afzelii and three haplotypes of B. burgdorferi isolated from winged specimens of L. cervi. This is the first study to detect the genetic material of B. burgdorferi s.l. in L. cervi in Poland and the first report on the identification of these bacteria in host-seeking specimens in the environment.

True slime molds (Eumycetozoa) remain under-explored globally, particularly in water-logged forest habitats. Despite evidence suggesting a high biodiversity potential in the Knyszyn Forest of north-eastern Poland, no systematic effort had previously been undertaken there. In the present survey, plant substrates from eight swampy sub-compartments were incubated for over four months, resulting in the detection of fifteen slime mold species. Four of these taxa are newly reported for northern and north-eastern Poland, while several have been recorded only a handful of times in the global literature. These findings underscore how damp, nutrient-rich conditions foster Eumycetozoa and demonstrate the effectiveness of moist-chamber culturing in revealing rare or overlooked taxa. Current evidence shows that, although slime molds may occasionally colonize living plant or fungal tissues, their influence on crop productivity and tree vitality is negligible; they are therefore better regarded as biodiversity indicators than as pathogens or pests. By establishing a replicable framework for studying water-logged environments worldwide, this work highlights the ecological importance of swamp forests in sustaining microbial and slime mold diversity.

Polyporoid fungi represent an untapped resource in the ancillary use of forests, traditionally utilized in both historic and contemporary medicine for their diverse bioactive properties, yet their potential for creating materials within the food industry remains largely unexplored. This article delves into the polyporoid fungi as a promising, yet underutilized, biomaterial resource for eco-friendly applications in the food sector. Despite their widespread use in traditional and modern medicine, the exploration of these fungi for industrial applications, particularly in food storage solutions and utensils, is in its nascent stages. The Białowieża Primeval Forest, characterized by its abundant deadwood and minimal human intervention, offers a rich repository of polyporoid fungi. This study aims to illuminate the ecological significance and potential industrial applications of polyporoid fungi. By reviewing existing research and synthesizing insights into the genetic diversity, biochemical capabilities, and ecological roles of polyporoid species such as Fomes fomentarius, Fomitopsis pinicola, and Trametes versicolor, this article proposes a novel approach to leveraging polyporoid fungi in developing sustainable solutions that meet current environmental and health-conscious trends. The investigation not only underscores the potential of polyporoid fungi in advancing green technologies but also highlights the importance of utilizing renewable resources in material science, fostering a shift towards more sustainable industrial practices.

True slime molds (Eumycetozoa) represent a monophyletic clade within the phylum Amoebozoa, comprising the lineages Myxogastria, Dictyostelia, and Protosporangiida. Although historically misclassified as fungi, recent molecular and biochemical studies underscore their distinct evolutionary trajectories and rich metabolomic profiles. In this review, we synthesize current knowledge on Eumycetozoa as a reservoir of bioactive compounds, detailing how secondary metabolites—including polysaccharides, amino acids, unsaturated fatty acids, terpenoids, and glycosides—vary across plasmodia, fruiting bodies, and spores. A systematic literature search in major scientific databases accounted for legacy nomenclature and leveraged chemoinformatic tools for compound verification. Our findings reveal 298 distinct metabolites that serve ecological roles in nutrient recycling and interspecies interactions, while also showing promise for controlling agricultural pests and pathogens. Notably, certain glycosides, lectins, and polyketides exhibit antimicrobial or cytotoxic activities, indicating their potential utility in managing these biological challenges. By consolidating current data and emphasizing the wide taxonomic range of Eumycetozoa, this review highlights the critical need for comprehensive biochemical and genomic investigations. Such efforts will not only advance our understanding of slime mold metabolomes and their evolutionary significance but also pave the way for innovative, eco-friendly applications.

True slime mould assemblages respond acutely to microhabitat structure, which may constitute potential indicators of forest dynamics; however, large-scale syntheses integrating habitat scale and substrate specificity remain exceedingly scarce. By collating 3085 occurrence records into eight ecologically coherent habitats and ten substrate guilds, we quantified richness, entropy, turnover and indicator strength via rarefaction, Chao1/ACE, Shannon–Simpson indices, $\beta$-diversity partitioning, NMDS, PERMANOVA and ${\mathit{IndVal}}_g$ analysis. Broadleaved deciduous forests accounted for 37.9% of observations and hosted the most taxa, while lignicolous samples in both deciduous and bog–mire contexts dominated species counts; open grasslands were compositionally depauperate. Species replacement, not nestedness, structured assemblages (${\beta }_{\mathrm{SIM}}/{\beta }_{\mathrm{SOR}}\approx 0.82$), and habitat plus substrate explained two-thirds of variance. Indicator analysis isolated six habitat-diagnostic genera (notably Cribraria, Hemitrichia and Licea) and, at species resolution, highlighted Diderma niveum, Fuligo septica and Ceratiomyxa fruticulosa as high-fidelity bioindicators of montane grassland, bog–mire and broadleaved forest conditions, respectively. Taken together, our findings lay the groundwork for employing true slime moulds to identify habitat types and assess their ecological condition, while underscoring the conservation value of dead wood retention and structural heterogeneity. The benchmarked indicator set we provide enables rapid assessments and establishes a temporal baseline for tracking climate- and management-driven change in Central European Eumycetozoa diversity.

Spores offer the most accessible diagnostic characters for the early-divergent Lycopodiaceae. We quantified eight morphometric traits—equivalent diameter, polar length, equatorial width, projected area, perimeter, and aspect ratio—in a balanced sample of 50 spores from each of six Central European taxa (Diphasiastrum alpinum, D. tristachyum, D. complanatum, Lycopodium annotinum, L. clavatum, and Huperzia selago) collected in the Białowieża Primeval Forest. Integrated light-microscope and scanning-electron-microscope imaging revealed three discrete wall-ornamentation syndromes (reticulate, verrucate, and granulose) that parallel the quantitative gradients. Principal component analysis showed that a single, collinear size axis accounts for 79% of variance, situating H. selago at the large-diameter extreme (mean: $37\mathsf{\mu }\mathrm{m}$) and the three Diphasiastrum species at the small-diameter pole (mean: 32–$33\mathsf{\mu }\mathrm{m}$). One-way ANOVA ($p<{10}^{-31}$) and PERMANOVA ($R^2=0.52$) confirmed decisive interspecific separation that mirrors published molecular phylogenies, underscoring a strong phylogenetic signal in spore form. While trait baselines are taxonomically stable, moderate microhabitat-driven shifts indicate limited ecophenotypic plasticity. The resulting high-resolution benchmark refines palynological identification, enables rapid spore-based bioindication of demographic stress, and strengthens conservation monitoring in relic temperate forest ecosystems.