Persistence without prosperity at the upper range margin: Elevation, microhabitat buffering and biotic pressure in a range-expanding spider

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  Persistence without prosperity at the upper range margin: Elevation, microhabitat buffering and biotic pressure in a range-expanding spider Abstract The upper elevational range limits of thermophilic arthropods reflect constraints on population persistence rather than simple presence. We examined how elevation structures affect the occurrence, abundance, reproductive behaviour and biotic pressure of the spider Cheiracanthium punctorium in Central Europe using a hypothesis-driven synthesis of site-level and cocoon-level data collected over 4 years. Both occurrence and abundance decreased steeply with elevation, with a pronounced loss of occupancy above approximately 850 m a.s.l., indicating a well-defined upper range boundary. Reproductive behaviour shifted systematically along the gradient, as females placed egg cocoons lower on vegetation at higher elevations, independent of vegetation height, which is consistent with behavioural adjustment to increasingly unfavourable microcli...

Blue benzoquinone from scorpion venom shows bactericidal activity against drug-resistant strains of the priority pathogen Acinetobacter baumannii

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Blue benzoquinone from scorpion venom shows bactericidal activity against drug-resistant strains of the priority pathogen Acinetobacter baumannii

Abstract

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria pose a significant global health threat, particularly pathogens resistant to last-resort antibiotics, such as those listed as priority pathogens by the World Health Organization. Addressing this challenge requires the development of novel antimicrobial agents. Previously, we identified a blue 1,4-benzoquinone isolated from the venom of the Mexican scorpion Diplocentrus melici as a potent antimicrobial compound effective against Staphylococcus aureus and Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Moreover, we devised a cost-effective synthetic route for its production. In this study, we demonstrate that the blue benzoquinone exhibits antibacterial activity against additional pathogens, including the priority pathogen Acinetobacter baumannii. Notably, the compound effectively killed clinical strains of A. baumannii resistant to multiple antibiotics, including carbapenem and colistin. Furthermore, A. baumannii did not develop resistance to the benzoquinone even after multiple growth cycles under sub-inhibitory concentrations, unlike the tested antibiotics. These findings underscore the potential of this blue benzoquinone as a lead compound for the development of a new class of antibiotics targeting multidrug-resistant bacteria.

I., J., Banda, M. M., N., E., Zare, R. N., Possani, L. D., & Bustamante, V. H. (2025). Blue benzoquinone from scorpion venom shows bactericidal activity against drug-resistant strains of the priority pathogen Acinetobacter baumannii. The Journal of Antibiotics, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41429-025-00809-8