Background and purpose: Three genera and eleven species of Glossosomatidae family have been confirmed in Bosnia and Herzegovina. However, there is limited research on the biodiversity of this family in the region, especially on molecular data. With this paper, we contribute to the knowledge on the Glossosomatidae family with the first molecular records for two species for Bosnia and Herzegovina. Materials and methods: Larval samples of caddisflies were collected in April 2019 and 2021 at the area of the Natural Monument the Spring of Bosna River followed by morphological identification. Molecular confirmation of species was done using DNA barcoding, targeting the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) region using Folmer’s primers and degenerated primers LCO1490-JJ and HCO2198-JJ. All obtained PCR products were bidirectionally sequenced using the same primers as in PCR. Results: Out of 52 specimens, 18 were morphologically determined to species level. A DNA barcode was successfully generated for 16 specimens. Eight sequences were generated for Synagapetus krawanyi, revealing three haplotypes previously absent from the BOLD database. Four sequences were obtained for S. iridipennis, with one new haplotype for BOLD database. Conclusions: We present new data on species distribution and genetic diversity of S. krawanyi and S. iridipennis from Bosnia and Herzegovina. This study contributes to the knowledge of caddisfly biodiversity and the Global Trichoptera Barcode Initiative by adding new records from two underrepresented species in the BOLD database.

Polyploidy is a powerful mechanism driving genetic, physiological, and phenotypic changes among cytotypes of the same species across both large and small geographic scales. These changes can significantly shape population structure and increase the evolutionary and adaptation potential of cytotypes. Alyssum moellendorfianum, an edaphic steno-endemic species with a narrow distribution in the Balkan Peninsula, serves as an intriguing case study. We conducted a comprehensive analysis of genetic diversity and population structure across the species’ range, employing an array of genetic techniques (nuclear microsatellites, amplified fragment length polymorphisms, and plastid DNA sequences), flow cytometry (FCM), morphometry, and pollen analysis. The study reveals two genetic lineages: spatially distributed diploid and tetraploid cytotypes. Clear divergence between diploids and tetraploids was shown by AFLP, while plastid DNA sequences confirmed private haplotypes in each of the studied populations. Higher genetic diversity and allelic richness following the north-south pattern were documented in tetraploids compared to diploids, as indicated by nuclear microsatellites. Morphometric analysis via principal component analysis (PCA) and canonical discriminant analysis (CDA) did not reveal any divergence between diploid and tetraploid cytotypes. Nonetheless, a distinction in pollen size was clearly observed. The results suggest an autopolyploid origin of tetraploids from diploid ancestors. Despite the population fragmentation in a very small geographic range, these populations harbour high genetic diversity, which would allow them to remain stable if natural processes remain undisturbed.

The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) is the most ambitious agreement on biodiversity conservation and sustainable use to date. It calls for a whole-of government and whole-of-society approach to halt and reverse biodiversity loss worldwide. The Monitoring Framework of the GBF lays out how Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) are expected to report their progress. A CBD expert group provided guidance on its implementation, including a gap analysis to identify the strengths and limitations of the indicators in the Monitoring Framework. We present the results of the gap analysis, highlight where more work is needed and provide recommendations on implementing and improving monitoring to allow effective and comprehensive tracking of the GBF’s ambition. We find that with the headline and binary indicators, which Parties are required to use, the Monitoring Framework fully covers 19% of the GBF’s ambition and partially covers an additional 40%. Including disaggregations of the headline indicators improves coverage to 22% fully and an additional 41% partially. Adding optional (component and complementary) indicators brings full coverage to 29% with an additional 47% partial coverage. No indicators are available for 12% of the GBF. In practice, the coverage of the Monitoring Framework will depend on which indicators (headline and binary as well as component and complementary) and disaggregations are used by countries. Disaggregations are particularly relevant to monitor the cross-cutting considerations defined under section C. Substantial investment is required to collect the necessary data to compute indicators, infer change, and effectively monitor progress. We highlight important next steps to progressively improve the efficacy of the Monitoring Framework.

The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) is the most ambitious agreement on biodiversity conservation and sustainable use to date. It calls for a whole-of government and whole-of-society approach to halt and reverse biodiversity loss worldwide. The Monitoring Framework of the GBF lays out how Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) are expected to report their progress. A CBD expert group provided guidance on its implementation, including a gap analysis to identify the strengths and limitations of the indicators in the Monitoring Framework. We present the results of the gap analysis, highlight where more work is needed and provide recommendations on implementing and improving monitoring to allow effective and comprehensive tracking of the GBF’s ambition. We find that with the headline and binary indicators, which Parties are required to use, the Monitoring Framework fully covers 19% of the GBF’s ambition and partially covers an additional 40%. Including disaggregations of the headline indicators improves coverage to 22% fully and an additional 41% partially. Adding optional (component and complementary) indicators brings full coverage to 29% with an additional 47% partial coverage. No indicators are available for 12% of the GBF. In practice, the coverage of the Monitoring Framework will depend on which indicators (headline and binary as well as component and complementary) and disaggregations are used by countries. Disaggregations are particularly relevant to monitor the cross-cutting considerations defined under section C. Substantial investment is required to collect the necessary data to compute indicators, infer change, and effectively monitor progress. We highlight important next steps to progressively improve the efficacy of the Monitoring Framework.

Genetic diversity is essential for maintaining healthy populations and ecosystems. Several approaches have recently been developed to evaluate population genetic trends without necessarily collecting new genetic data. Such “genetic diversity indicators” enable rapid, large-scale evaluation across dozens to thousands of species. Empirical genetic studies, when available, provide detailed information that is important for management, such as estimates of gene flow, inbreeding, genetic erosion and adaptation. In this article, we argue that the development and advancement of genetic diversity indicators is a complementary approach to genetic studies in conservation biology, but not a substitute. Genetic diversity indicators and empirical genetic data can provide different information for conserving genetic diversity. Genetic diversity indicators enable affordable tracking, reporting, prioritization and communication, although, being proxies, do not provide comprehensive evaluation of the genetic status of a species. Conversely, genetic methods offer detailed analysis of the genetic status of a given species or population, although they remain challenging to implement for most species globally, given current capacity and resourcing. We conclude that indicators and genetic studies are both important for genetic conservation actions and recommend they be used in combination for conserving and monitoring genetic diversity.

ABSTRACT Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato complex comprises 20 species, from which B. afzelii, B. garinii, B. burgdorferi sensu stricto, B. bavariensis, and B. spielmanii are directly associated with Lyme borreliosis, while B. bissettiae, B. lusitaniae, and B. valaisiana were detected in individual cases. Their main vector in Europe is the hard tick species Ixodes ricinus. To date, two species, B. spielmanii and B. lusitaniae, have been molecularly detected in Bosnia and Herzegovina. To test for the presence of other Borrelia species, we performed nested PCR targeting intergenic region rrf (5S) – rrl (23S) on DNA isolates from 49 ticks collected from vegetation by flagging method and 43 removed from humans in The Center for Emergency Medical Assistance of the Sarajevo Canton and The Healthcare Centers of the Sarajevo Canton. Borrelia species were detected by one-directional Sanger sequencing of the amplified region using the same forward primer as in PCR. Out of six Borrelia species detected in the present study, this is the first record of B. afzelii, B. garinii, B. burgdorferi s.s. B. bavariensis, and B. valaisiana in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Tufa deposits in karst rivers are unique habitats created by mutual interactions between specific environmental and biotope features and inhabited by diatoms as a highly abundant and diverse algal group. This pilot study aimed to investigate the diversity of diatom communities on tufa depositing habitats and assess the Una River’s ecological status using a comparative molecular and morphological approach for diatom identification. The 312 base pairs of the rbcL gene were barcoded and analyzed using MiSeq reads and amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) obtained by the DADA2 pipeline. The reference database Diat.barcode v7 was used for taxonomic assignment. The morphological identification of the diatoms was carried out in parallel. In total, the combined dataset revealed 46 taxa identified at genus rank, 125 on the subgenus, and 145 on combined taxonomy rank. The metabarcoding approach mostly leads to a lower number of identified taxa at species rank (58 in molecular vs. 119 in optical inventory), resulting in higher values of beta diversity and heterogeneity in diatom assemblages in samples obtained by morphological approach. Despite the high percentage of taxonomically not assigned diatom ASVs to the species rank, high Shannon diversity index values and a similar number of taxa per locations compared to the morphological approach were obtained. Taxa Achnanthidium minutissimum (Kützing) Czarnecki, Achnanthidium pyrenaicum (Hustedt) H.Kobayasi, Amphora pediculus (Kützing) Grunow, Diatoma vulgaris Bory, Navicula cryptotenella Lange-Bertalot, and Navicula tripunctata (O.F.Müller) Bory were identified at all locations in both inventories. Although limited consistency in the diatom abundances between the two inventory datasets was found, a similar grouping of samples was observed connected to the river’s longitudinal gradient. The data obtained using molecular approach in most sites indicated a mostly lower ecological status (good or moderate) compared to the data obtained from the morphological approach (high, good, and moderate). The potential of environmental DNA (eDNA) diatom metabarcoding for water monitoring and diversity studies is undeniable, but to fully realize the benefits of these methods in the future, it is essential to standardize protocols and expand the reference database for species found in specific habitats, such as tufa deposits.

In order to ensure the long-term sustainability of the conservation process of Norwegian plum germplasm, as well as to enhance the possibility of its utilization, a central plum heritage cultivar collection was established in 2020. In this study, 40 plum accessions maintained at the Ullensvang plum heritage cultivar collection were genetically characterized using a set of nine microsatellite markers recently approved by the ECPGR Prunus working group. The obtained molecular data were used to investigate the genetic identity, diversity, and structure among the analyzed accessions. No redundancies were detected among the plum accessions, which is in stark contrast to the previous molecular study on plum samples collected through an on-farm inventory of Southern Norway. Furthermore, the obtained data indicate that the Ullensvang collection contains a significant genetic diversity of Norwegian plum germplasm, previously held in decentralized sites. With that in mind, this collection can certainly be considered for the role of the National Clonal Plum Germplasm Repository. The nine microsatellite markers, recommended by ECPGR, revealed a genetic structure not entirely tied to previously proposed pomological groups, possibly indicating a history of hybridization among members of the various groups.

Genetic monitoring of populations currently attracts interest in the context of the Convention on Biological Diversity but needs long-term planning and investments. However, genetic diversity has been largely neglected in biodiversity monitoring, and when addressed, it is treated separately, detached from other conservation issues, such as habitat alteration due to climate change. We report an accounting of efforts to monitor population genetic diversity in Europe (genetic monitoring effort, GME), the evaluation of which can help guide future capacity building and collaboration towards areas most in need of expanded monitoring. Overlaying GME with areas where the ranges of selected species of conservation interest approach current and future climate niche limits helps identify whether GME coincides with anticipated climate change effects on biodiversity. Our analysis suggests that country area, financial resources and conservation policy influence GME, high values of which only partially match species’ joint patterns of limits to suitable climatic conditions. Populations at trailing climatic niche margins probably hold genetic diversity that is important for adaptation to changing climate. Our results illuminate the need in Europe for expanded investment in genetic monitoring across climate gradients occupied by focal species, a need arguably greatest in southeastern European countries. This need could be met in part by expanding the European Union’s Birds and Habitats Directives to fully address the conservation and monitoring of genetic diversity. Comparing data on genetic monitoring efforts across Europe with the distributions of areas at species’ climatic niche margins, the authors show that monitoring efforts should be expanded to populations at trailing niche margins to include genetic variation that may prove important for adaptation to ongoing climate warming.

Isolation-by-distance (IBD) pattern among bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.) populations has previously been reported for this species in northern Europe. However, the number of molecular studies conducted on bilberry, using everything from isoenzymes, RAPDs to microsatellite markers, are very few and far between. Considering that Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) is a country rich with diverse fruit genetic resources, conducting a genetic characterization of the naturally occurring V. myrtillus populations could yield valuable data for the conservation and utilization of this resource. This study entailed genotyping samples collected from three bilberry populations located in Fojnica, Kladanj, and Srebrenica municipalities using seven polymorphic microsatellite or SSR (simple sequence repeats) markers. The obtained molecular data was used to calculate the correlation between the physical distance of the individual B&H populations and a parameter of the genetic differentiation (pairwise Fst). The results of the correlation analyses revealed an absence of a significant isolation-by-distance pattern among the three examined B&H bilberry populations. In addition, the most pronounced genetic differentiation was detected between the Srebrenica and each of the two remaining B&H populations. At the same time, the values for pFst were significant, albeit much lower, between the Fojnica and Kladanj populations. Bilberries from the sampled Srebrenica population appear to be distinct from the other B&H populations, possibly due to the different genetic origin of this population.