Museum and Institute of Zoology

Utility of postcanine dental dimensions for body size estimation in Mustela (Carnivora)

Abstract Mustela , one of the most species‐rich and widespread genera of Carnivora, has a 4‐million‐year fossil record that mainly comprises permanent teeth, of which postcanines (premolars and molars) are most useful for taxonomic identification. To evaluate the utility of a sim...

Significant impact of threshold adjustments on microbiome characterization following Nanopore sequencing

Abstract Sequencing the full-length 16S rRNA gene is essential for improving the taxonomic resolution of bacterial identification. Long-read Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT) sequencing, coupled with its real-time analysis platform EPI2ME, has become increasingly competitive in...

Large Herbivores as Overlooked Vectors of Fungal and Oomycete Pathogens

Dispersal mechanisms of phytopathogenic fungi and oomycetes are critical components of forest disease dynamics. While wind and water are well-studied pathways, the role of large forest herbivores as passive vectors remains significantly overlooked. This study quantifies and compa...