Kombucha, a traditional fermented beverage, has become an important topic in global health beverage research due to its potential health benefits. The aim of this review is to integrate the existing literature and analyze the interactions among microbial communities during the fermentation process of kombucha, especially how Saccharomyces, Acetobacter, and Lactobacillus generate bioactive components with health benefits through the cascade reaction in sugar metabolism–ethanol oxidation–organic acid accumulation. We also focus on the effects of fermentation conditions (e.g., time, temperature, and strain) on the microbial community structure and metabolic pathways, as well as their effects on the bioactive components and quality of kombucha microbiota (the microbial community in kombucha). By combing and analyzing the existing studies, this review provides an important theoretical basis for the optimization of the fermentation process, enhancement of health benefits, and development of functional beverages of kombucha microbiota, as well as new ideas for future research directions.

The broad host range fungal insect pathogen, Beauveria bassiana , has been commercialized as an alternative to chemical insecticides for pest control worldwide. B. bassiana represents a unique model system with which to examine host-pathogen interactions, and a wide range of genes and processes have been studied. However, significant aspects of virulence, particularly on the genomic scale, remain poorly studied. Here, we have combined available transcriptomes with three newly generated data sets for a combined total analysis of 76 deep-sequenced samples covering growth, development, stress responses, and infection during the life cycle of B. bassiana . Co-expression network analyses resulted in the identification of gene modules enriched during two critical stages of the infection process, namely (i) cuticle penetration and (ii) in vivo hyphal body (dimorphic transition) growth capable of avoiding innate and humoral immune defenses. These analyses identify unique signatures of metabolism, signaling, secondary metabolite production, host defense suppression, membrane reorganization, effector production, and secretion for each stage, including genetic regulators and epigenetic patterns. These data provide a comprehensive framework for understanding and probing fungal adaptations to its pathogenic life cycle and expand the candidate repertoire for continued dissection of the host-pathogen interaction. IMPORTANCE: Insect fungal pathogens have evolved unique strategies for overcoming host structural and immunological defenses that span from the sclerotized cuticle to innate and humoral cellular responses. Two critical stages of the infection process involve (i) cuticle penetration and (ii) immune evasion within the insect hemocoel. A set of 76 global transcriptomic data for B. bassiana that include the cuticle penetration and hemocoel growth stages were analyzed for patterns (gene modules) of expression, yielding unique insights into these different life stages. These analyses integrate gene networks involved in fungal development, stress response and pathogenesis to further the systematic understanding of the global processes integral to the unique adaptation employed by fungal pathogens of insects.

Understanding the mechanisms underlying seasonal community dynamics is important for predicting biodiversity responses to environmental fluctuations, enhancing ecological forecasting, and informing conservation strategies. In this study, we use standard transect and mist netting methods investigated seasonal altitudinal migration patterns of montane bird species in the Gyirong Valley, Central Himalayas. Our results showed four distinct altitudinal migration patterns among montane bird species: no shift, downslope shift, upslope shift, and contraction to mid-elevation zones. Species with smaller body weight and higher ratios of wing length, tail length, and tarsus length to body weight tended to migrate to lower elevations. Insectivorous birds exhibited a collective downslope shift, while omnivorous birds showed a wider range of migratory responses to seasonal variation. Migratory behavior was found to dynamically modulate the association between phenotypic traits and habitat preferences. During the breeding season, species (70.44%) and functional turnover (80.02%) dominated, while in the non-breeding season, nestedness significantly contributed to species (49.37%) and functional diversity (38.09%). In addition, migration can disrupt the direct influence of environmental variables on biodiversity patterns, providing important insights for montane biodiversity conservation under climate change. Our results highlight the critical need to safeguard low-elevation winter habitats and create dynamic protected areas to aid bird conservation amidst climate change.

This study conducted a comprehensive survey of macrofungal diversity in the Niyang River Basin by integrating soil high-throughput sequencing (HTS) with a traditional field investigation (TFI), aiming to evaluate the potential species pool and to assess the methodological complementarity of the two approaches. Compared with the TFI, the soil HTS method compensates for the impacts of climate and the growth phenology of macrofungi, and achieves a broader coverage in the investigation of macrofungal species. TFI is proven to be more effective in identifying conspicuous and parasitic fungi, whereas soil HTS is particularly advantageous in uncovering rare and previously unrecorded taxa. These findings highlight the necessity of methodological integration for accurately characterizing macrofungal diversity in complex ecosystems. The results not only establish a robust scientific foundation for the conservation and sustainable utilization of macrofungal resources on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, but also provide valuable methodological insights for future biodiversity assessments and conservation planning.

Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascades are critical for fungal development, stress adaptation. and virulence. However, their dynamic and stress-specific regulatory networks in entomopathogenic fungi remain largely unresolved. This study systematically investigates the roles of all three key MAPKs—BbHog1, BbSlt2, and BbMpk1—in insect pathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana. A combination of detailed phenotypic profiling of deletion mutants (ΔBbHog1, ΔBbSlt2, and ΔBbMpk1) and time-course transcriptomics (RNA-seq at 0, 0.5, and 12 h) under osmotic, cell-wall, oxidative, and thermal stress conditions was employed, followed by weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA). This approach delineated twelve stress-responsive gene modules regulated by those MAPKs that were highly associated with fungal stress adaptation, including membrane repair, redox balance, cell-wall remodeling, and core metabolism. Functional analyses showed that Hog1 orchestrates osmoadaptation through coordinated control of osmolyte metabolism, glycolytic flux, and cell-wall remodeling; Slt2 protects against thermal damage by sustaining membrane integrity, ergosterol homeostasis, and redox balance; and Mpk1 directs oxidative stress responses by tuning mitochondrial activity, metabolic suppression, and detoxification pathways. In summary, this work outlines a concise, systems-level framework of MAPK-mediated stress regulation in B. bassiana, providing mechanistic insight into fungal environmental resilience and identifying molecular targets for the engineering of robust biocontrol strains.

Diet, morphological traits, and other ecological characteristics may influence the composition of bird communities. The southern slopes of the Himalayas are one of the global hotspots for avian species diversity. However, systematic research on the distribution patterns of birds in this region and the intrinsic links between these patterns and ecological characteristics has not yet been reported. This research gap limits our comprehensive understanding of the avian ecosystem in this area and affects the formulation of targeted conservation strategies. Using standard transect methods and mist-netting, we surveyed bird species, their numbers, as well as the habitats in four 300 m elevation bands during the breeding season (May–June 2024) in the middle elevations of the Gyirong Valley, a typical valley on the southern slope of the Himalayas. We analyzed the bird species composition, habitat distribution, and the influence of ecological characteristics on bird distribution patterns using R 4.4. During the field survey of the breeding season in the middle elevations of the Gyirong Valley, a total of 76 bird species were recorded. Among them, birds from the families Muscicapidae and Phylloscopidae within the order Passeriformes constitute the dominant groups. Insectivorous and omnivorous birds were the main groups in the Gyirong Valley. Birds with different diets and morphological traits show distinct differentiation in habitat selection. The higher the specialization rate of ecological traits, the smaller the population size of the birds, and the more likely they are to become endangered species. Moreover, morphological traits significantly influenced the distribution patterns of birds in the middle elevations of the Gyirong Valley. Therefore, when formulating conservation strategies for birds in the Gyirong Valley, it is essential to fully consider the differences in habitat requirements for birds with different ecological traits.