The beta release of an innovative collaborative stand-alone authoring tool transforms manuscript preparation with semantic enrichment and real-time collaboration capabilities.
Scholarly publisher and technology provider Pensoft Publishers announces the beta launch of ORPHO, a revolutionary online platform designed to streamline collaborative scientific writing and produce AI-ready, future-proof scholarly literature.
ORPHO presents a significant advancement in scholarly publishing technology, combining intuitive writing features with sophisticated semantic enrichment capabilities. The new platform builds upon Pensoft’s fifteen years of experience as a developer of semantic publishing infrastructure.
Key Features
Within a shared online workspace, researchers can start with built-in customisable templates, create their own or import an existing file. They can then team up with collaborators in real time using track changes, role-based user rights, inline comments, and document-level chat. More significantly, ORPHO automatically structures scientific content according to international publishing standards, making research outputs findable, discoverable, interoperable and reusable (FAIR) once published.
Unlike its predecessor, the ARPHA Writing Tool, ORPHO is available as a standalone real-time collaborative workspace decoupled from journals hosted on Pensoft’s ARPHA Publishing Platform. Once a manuscript is ready, authors receive AI-FAIR machine-readable content that can be formatted to meet multiple journal requirements at the click of a button.
The platform’s adaptability to domain-specific workflows is currently being piloted in biodiversity science. ORPHO integrates seamlessly with leading biodiversity data aggregators, including the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLD) and PlutoF, via import and export facilities for structured data, making ORPHO particularly valuable for researchers handling taxonomic, ecological and biodiversity data.
ORPHO: A new intelligent workspace for scientific writing.
Why ORPHO?
The name draws inspiration from multiple sources which reflect the tool’s philosophy and heritage. Named after Orphium: a unique plant genus endemic to South Africa whose sole species (Orphium frutescens) is known as the sea rose, ORPHO reflects the platform’s distinctive nature, heritage, and core philosophy.
It also evokes Orpheus, the legendary musician of ancient Thrace whose home region, the Rhodopi Mountains, lies in present-day Bulgaria, where ORPHO’s developer, Pensoft, is headquartered. The name thus honours the tool’s origins whilst embodying the exceptional creative performance it enables.
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Prof. Dr. Lyubomir Penev, founder and CEO of Pensoft, comments:
“We are well aware that researchers today face an overwhelming list of formatting requirements and technical demands in an AI-driven landscape. It is true that rapid technological advancement presents both immense opportunities and mounting complexities for researchers.
We built ORPHO to remove that friction by offering an intuitive, collaborative workspace that lets scientists focus on their research. As a scientific publisher, our mission is to make scholarly publishing a seamless, rewarding experience fit for the modern age.”
The beta release invites researchers, institutions and publishing platforms to trial ORPHO and provide feedback. Access is available at orpho.net.
Every September since 2015, the scholarly publishing world has paused to examine the process that quietly underwrites the integrity of scientific knowledge. This year, Peer Review Week runs from 14 to 18 September, bringing together publishers, societies, funders, libraries and researchers to talk about the often unglamorous but essential job of reviewing each other’s work.
The 2026 theme was chosen by community vote – 2,115 votes in total, the highest participation in Peer Review Week’s history. “Peer Review Capacity: Volume, Speed, and Quality” emerged as the winner, taking 40% of the vote. The result reflects a strain the whole system is experiencing: submissions are rising faster than the pool of willing, qualified reviewers, while authors and funders expect faster decisions than ever. While editors are being asked to hold the line on rigour with the same volunteer hours they always had – or less.
So, to celebrate the essential work that reviewers do, highlight some of the strains the current system is under, and show how we at Pensoftare trying to support our reviewers, we wanted to spotlight our editors-in-chief, the people who see the submission pipeline every single day, by asking them what “capacity” really means to them, and what would need to change for peer review to become more sustainable.
Capacity starts with people
Person working on a laptop. Credit to poungsaed_eco via Envato.
We asked our editors how they would describe “peer review capacity“. Almost every answer was rooted in the same place: people, and whether enough of them are still willing to do the work.
It’s about people – their willingness to give the best scientific thought to review and evaluate a fellow scientist’s work.
Tammy Robinson, Editor-in-Chief of NeoBiota, described the day-to-day challenge of finding those people:
NeoBiota editors try to avoid repeatedly asking the same people to review, but it’s very difficult to get people to accept a review invitation these days.
While for Florian Leese, Editor-in-Chief of Metabarcoding and Metagenomics, the strain of growing submissions without letting quality or turnaround times slip is a daily balancing act he’s refreshingly candid about:
Submissions in MBMG are growing faster than the time I and our editors can give them – and I think it’s worth saying that openly.
Open Laptop Displaying a Blue Network of Data. Credit to GoldenDayz via Envato.
This is precisely the problem Pensoft set out to address earlier this year, when ARPHA – our end-to-end publishing platform – integrated with Prophy, an AI-driven reviewer-discovery tool that matches manuscripts to qualified researchers from a database of millions. Across more than 90 ARPHA-powered journals, editorial teams can now reach well beyond the small circle of familiar names, surfacing reviewers by expertise and research focus rather than by who comes to mind first – directly widening the pool editors like Robinson are struggling to tap.
Freeing up expertise for what matters most
Pensoft designed the ARPHA Publishing Platform to carry every manuscript through review, editing, publication, dissemination and archiving within a single collaborative environment – precisely so that the whole publishing process is made straightforward.
ARPHA homepage
As Leese reflects:
The workflow side is not the problem; ARPHA handles editor assignment, plagiarism checks and the mechanics of the process efficiently, and the Pensoft team is quick to spot where things are piling up and need fixes.
Where he sees the next opportunity is in the technical, time-consuming checks that sit just beneath editorial judgment:
What no workflow tool currently helps with is the part that actually defines quality in our field: are the sequence data and metadata deposited and usable, are the bioinformatic steps reproducible, do the results actually support the conclusions? Those checks take time that has to be carved out of an already full working day, for editors as much as for reviewers.
As numbers rise, the honest answer is that editors will need support – trained data auditors, or validated AI-based tools from the publisher that pre-screen the technical parts – or the model of the volunteer editor/reviewer will not scale. We are not there yet, but we are at the point where that has to be said.
Prof. Benjamin Burkhard, Editor-in-Chief of One Ecosystem adds:
I think that One Ecosystem and ARPHA are providing a very straight-forward authoring, editing and reviewing system. Everything happens directly in the same platform, so no additional documents have to be filled. I also appreciate that the reviewers can (optionally) reveal their identity, which adds a lot of transparency to the whole process and helps to avoid/reduce unconstructive comments.
Making reviewing sustainable
“Recognition” was the word the editors returned to most often when the conversation turned to sustainability, and this is an area in which Pensoft has been investing for a decade and continues to develop.
Person working on a computer. Credit to puhhha via Envato.
Since 2016, ARPHA has been integrated with Publons (now part of Web of Science’s Reviewer Recognition Service), so every review logged through the platform becomes part of a reviewer’s visible professional record rather than disappearing into an inbox.
Hauber shared his vision for sustainability in five years:
A broad reviewer base, with folks at all stages of their academic and industry careers, still willing to review and evaluate peer-workers’ studies.
Robinson sees growth coming from investing in the next generation:
Training courses for early career researchers so that they are upskilled and can be drawn in as skilled reviewers. This will be good for them and the system.
Burkhard notes:
I think the community needs to be strengthen and encouraged to do reviews. If each publishing author would review as many articles as they are submitting, the problem of reviewer fatigue would be solved rather easily. Otherwise we need to think about rewarding system for reviewers, perhaps even offering a small financial incentive.
Leese proposes fewer publications and a bit more visibility for reviewers’ input:
Stop rewarding the number of papers. My proposal: publish less, and treat reviewing as an obligation to the community that scales with your own output. Review roughly twice as many papers as you publish, and make that visible as a metric. ‘Are you paying back?’ should be a question that counts in evaluations.
He also laid out what he sees as the two changes that would help most, and what’s at stake if the field doesn’t act on them:
Two things would help in parallel. First, better recognition or (even monetary) rewards for reviewers, as long as it does not end up inflating article processing charges. Second, and specifically for a data-heavy field like in our journal: the publishing field should take the necessary but tedious checks – data and metadata availability, code, reproducibility – away from reviewers and automate them, so that human expertise is spent where it is really needed: study design, context, whether the data support the claims, and whether something essential is missing that only an expert would notice. Classical peer review is at a turning point. It can be reformed, and I think it should be; the alternative is that it slowly gets replaced by AI-generated reviews that may often not do the job as we had hoped for.
Building toward that future
Past or future sign. Credit to fotodestock via Envato.
Having been around for 34 years, Pensoft treats Peer Review Week as more than a thank-you. Rather, it reflects a continued effort to build a publishing environment that makes reviewing sustainable, from AI-assisted reviewer matching to permanent recognition to the tools that take tedious checks off editors’ plates.
The record turnout in this year’s theme vote shows the community itself has named capacity as the defining challenge of this moment. As we look at insights from editors like Mark Hauber, Tammy Robinson, Florian Leese and Benjamin Burkhard, the message is clear:the field can only be sustainable if reviewing is treated as seriously as publishing.
The 4th BioSyst.EU meeting took place in Uppsala, Sweden, from 17 to 19 August 2026, organised by the Swedish Systematics Association, in collaboration with Uppsala University.
The 4th BioSyst.EU meeting took place in Uppsala, Sweden, from 17 to 19 August 2026, organised by the Swedish Systematics Association, in collaboration with Uppsala University. For three days, the conference brought together European systematists to celebrate the discipline in the very city where it was born, home to Carl Linnaeus and the foundations of modern taxonomy.
BioSyst.EU exists to give individual scientists across Europe a shared platform, working through their national and regional societies rather than institutions. It sits alongside the Consortium of European Taxonomic Facilities (CETAF), which represents natural history institutions, and together the two bodies aim to strengthen systematic biology, phylogenetics and biodiversity research across the continent.
This year’s programme combined talks, workshops and symposia with visits to historical sites connected to Linnaeus. The main event was preceded by an early career meeting on Sunday 16 August, which gave students and early career researchers a chance to connect before the conference proper began.
Pensoft were delighted to attend with our own booth, where colleagues came to chat about our publishing services, from manuscript to final publication, as well as our tools for managing and publishing taxonomic and biodiversity data.
Pensoft’s booth at BioSyst.EU, 2026.
It was a great opportunity to introduce our journal portfolio – more than half of which comprises taxonomy and systematics titles – to old friends and new faces alike, including titles such as:
ZooKeys– one of the world’s leading journals for zoological taxonomy and biodiversity research, publishing new species descriptions and revisions across the animal kingdom
MycoKeys– dedicated to fungal systematics, taxonomy and biodiversity, supporting mycologists with rapid, richly illustrated publishing
PhytoKeys– focused on plant systematics and biodiversity, covering everything from single species descriptions to large-scale floristic studies
Metabarcoding and Metagenomics (MBMG) – a journal built around the fast-growing field of DNA-based biodiversity assessment, from environmental DNA to large-scale metagenomic surveys
Zoosystematics and Evolution – published with the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin, covering zoological systematics, morphology and evolutionary biology
Pensoft’s journal portfolio comprising taxonomy and systematics titles.
It was also a pleasure to meet some of our authors, reviewers and subject editors at the booth!
Alice Petzold – subject editor in Natural History Collections and Museomics.
Oleksandr Holovachov – author in Biodiversity Data Journal, and Metabarcoding and Metagenomics.
Oleksandr Ordynets – author and reviewer for Biodiversity Data Journal, MycoKeys, and Plant Ecology and Evolution.
Viktor Hartung – subject editor for Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift.
Conference presentation highlights
One of the undoubted highlights of the conference was the keynote talk by Sandra Knapp, editor-in-chief of PhytoKeys, titled Taming the beasts: strategies for studying megadiversity. Knapp tackled the question: what do we do with genera that contain more than a thousand species?
She subsequently made the case that studying genera properly, from geography to identification, pays dividends for both collaborative science and our understanding of evolution.
Sandra Knapp at Pensoft’s booth.
Sandra Knapp’s presentation at BioSyst.EU 2026.
Another highlight was the keynote lecture by Paul Hebert, Chair of the MBMG Advisory Board: The End Game – All Species & Their Interactions. Hebert reflected on the tens of millions of multicellular species we share the planet with, most still undescribed and many at risk of disappearing before they are even documented.
Paul Hebert’s presentation at BioSyst.EU 2026.
Among the other talks we attended was by one of our long-time partners, Olaf Banki, on the Catalogue of Life: taxonomic data services and infrastructure for all. Olaf reflected on the initiative’s evolution, from its origins thirty years ago to today, where the Catalogue of Life now serves as the taxonomic reference underpinning close to 4 billion species occurrences mediated through GBIF.
He gave a valuable overview of where the initiative stands: what it offers different user groups, including taxonomists and data infrastructures, where taxonomic data gaps remain, and how the community can contribute going forward.
Olaf Banki’s presentation at BioSyst.EU 2026.
Notably, Pensoft’s journals are integrated with Catalogue of Life to help list the species of the world. You can find out more about this initiative by accessing the following blog post.
A final highlight was Alexander Edwards’ presentation, titled Where Were You Yesterday? Interrogating Floral Constancy in Bumble Bee Workers Using Pollen Metabarcoding. Edwards presented work using ITS2 pollen metabarcoding to study the foraging behaviour of individually marked Bombus terrestris workers in a semi-natural university garden, sampling pollen non-lethally from returning foragers over several days.
Alexander Edwards’ presentation at BioSyst.EU 2026.
Award winners
And a massive congratulations to all our award winners! In the Best Student Poster category, first prize went to Giada Spagliardi of the University of Toronto for her poster Finding depth at the surface: museomics and species boundaries of bubble-rafting gastropods, while the runner-up prize was awarded to Hannah Cremer of the Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum, Frankfurt, for Long Hidden in Tubes: First Steps Towards Resolving the Filograna/Salmacina Complex (Serpulidae).
In the Best Student Talk category, first prize was awarded to Alexander Edwards of the University of Kassel for his talk Where Were You Yesterday? Interrogating Floral Constancy in Bumble Bee Workers Using Pollen Metabarcoding, with the runner-up prize going to Tina Kiedaisch of the University of Munich (LMU) for Intercontinental dispersal, ecological shifts and repeated origins of C4 photosynthesis shaped the evolution of Amaranthaceae s.s..
The awardees at BioSys.EU 2026.
An excursion to Linnaeus’ Hammarby
On 20 August, participants also had the option to join an excursion to Hammarby, Linnaeus’ summer house just outside Uppsala. It is a rare chance to step inside an authentic 18th century Swedish manor that reveals both the private life of Linnaeus and the scientific work he carried out there!
Pensoft notably visited the University of Uppsala Botanical Garden, also known as the Linnaean Garden, where Olof Rudbeck the Elder and Carl von Linnaeus worked:
The Linnaean Garden, 2026.
Until next time
The 4th BioSyst.EU meeting was a fitting tribute to the roots of systematics, held in the city where the discipline effectively began. From megadiverse genera to pollen metabarcoding and the future of biodiversity monitoring, the talks reflected how dynamic the field remains. We were delighted to be part of it, and to spend three days connecting with the scientific community. We look forward to the next BioSyst.EU meeting!
Catching up with Michael Schmitt at Pensoft’s booth – our subject editor for Zookeys and Arthropods systematics and phylogeny.
Between 26-31 July, Pensoft Publishers joined more than 2,600 ecologists, researchers, and conservation professionals in Salt Lake City for the 111th Annual Meeting of the Ecological Society of America (ESA2026).
Pensoft Publishers joined more than 2,600 ecologists, researchers, and conservation professionals in Salt Lake City for the 111th Annual Meeting of the Ecological Society of America (ESA2026) between 26-31 July.
This year’s conference theme, “Ecology in an Era of Uncertainty,” could not have felt more timely. Uncertainty is nothing new to ecological research – it’s built into measurements, mechanisms, and predictions.
But new sources of uncertainty are now reshaping the field: the rise of artificial intelligence, post-pandemic shifts in career development, and growing instability in research funding. Throughout the week, the ESA community came together not only to share cutting-edge ecological research, but also to think collectively about how to navigate these emerging challenges – trading multidisciplinary, creative solutions to keep the field resilient in the face of what’s next.
The Opening Session
The Grand Ballroom was packed for the opening session, where Conference Chairs Daniel Stover and Andrea Swei welcomed attendees. Despite a challenging year for funding and travel, the 111th annual meeting of ESA 2026 hosted 2,600 registered attendees 330 sessions and 884 posters,
The opening address was delivered by Diane Pitaki, Chief Scientist and Vice President for Science at the National Wildlife Federation, who spoke about ecology standing at a crossroads amid the biodiversity crisis and shifting political headwinds, urging the community to actively “defend conservation science.”
Among the meeting’s standout moments was the plenary from Tanya Berger-Wolf, Professor of Computer Science and Ecology at Ohio State University and a leading figure in AI for ecology and biodiversity.
Notably, Berger-Wolf will be a keynote speaker at TDWG 2026 in Oslo (20-25 September) – where Pensoft Publisherswill once again be exhibiting, so stay tuned for future updates.
Situated right at the entrance of the exhibition hall, Pensoft’s booth revelled in attention from attendees throughout the week.
Pensoft’s team at ESA 2026 in Salt Palace Convention Center.
Pensoft’s busy stand at the 111th Annual Meeting of the Ecological Society of America.
Pensoft’s busy stand at the 111th Annual Meeting of the Ecological Society of America.
The beautiful Denitsa Peneva’s illustrations at ESA 2026.
A particular highlight was our trio of diamond open-access journals – free to publish in and free to read – that drew considerable interest from attendees:
Individual-Based Ecology promotes a distinctive individual-based perspective on ecology, aiming to bridge individual behaviour and broader ecological patterns.
Advances in Pollinator Research is designed as an innovative platform for the full spectrum of pollinator science, from pollination ecology and pollinator-plant interactions to molecular ecology, conservation, and more.
Agricultural and Environmental Modelling (AEM), meanwhile, offers an innovative approach to publishing, dedicated to advancing both the science and practice of modelling across agriculture, food systems, natural resources, and environmental sciences.
Brochure of the diamond open-access Individual Based Ecology Journal.
Close up photo of the Advances in Pollinator Research brochure at ESA 2026.
Nicole Nogoy, managing editor of Agricultural and Environmental Modelling at ESA 2026.
Attendees curious about AEM had the chance to speak directly with its Managing Editor, Nicole Nogoy, who was on site throughout the conference to discuss publishing opportunities and promote the journal’s search for Subject Editors.
We also introduced attendees to our newest addition, the diamond open-accessJournal of Regeneration. For those interested in sharing early-stage research or project outcomes, Research Ideas and Outcomes (RIO) offered another avenue worth exploring, publishing everything from project proposals and data to policy briefs and null results.
Those looking for a new publisher or white-label solutions had the opportunity to exploreARPHA, Pensoft’s own publishing platform, which supports the full journey from manuscript writing and peer review to publication, dissemination, and archiving – all in one seamless workflow.
Combined brochure of EU-Funded project in which Pensoft participates.
Beyond the journals and publishing solutions, the team took the opportunity to spotlight some of Pensoft’s ongoing EU-funded projects, including our pollination initiatives and our continued work with eLTER.
This time around, our team created “Pensoft Species Quiz,” challenging booth visitors to identify the correct Latin name for a series of species beautifully illustrated by Denitsa Peneva. Being more than just a fun activity, it became a natural conversation starter – leading into deeper discussions about Pensoft’s journals, services, and potential collaborations with attendees.
Some of the winners from our quiz at ESA 2026.
Some of the winners from our quiz at ESA 2026.
Happy winners from our interactive quiz game at ESA 2026.
Attendees interacting with our fun quiz.
The Agricultural and Environmental Modelling Poster Award
AEM’s Managing Editor – Nicole Nogoy ran a poster competition at the meeting, and it turned out to be one of the highlights of our week. Three researchers stood out:
Julian Resasco (University of Colorado, Boulder) took home the prize for overall best presentation with a hand-drawn comic-book poster on climate change effects on Basque country thistles;
Gwendolyn Lloyd (Indiana University) impressed us with her research on arthropods and mites in agricultural soils;
Emily Redding (Fort Hays State University, KS) joined in with a poster on fire suppression’s effects on Juniper-dependent bird species, having been inspired to bring modelling into her own research.
We also took part in a raffle organised by ESA, to which each exhibitor contributed a prize.
Kanchana Balasubramanian one of the winners of Pensoft Publishers’ raffle prizes at ESA2026.
Elizabeth Afkhami Searcy received our book “Mapping Ecosystem Services” as part of the Ecological Society of America’s conference raffle.
ESA2026 was a strong reminder of just how much energy – and uncertainty – is currently shaping the ecology community. Between thought-provoking plenaries on AI and conservation science, engaging conversations sparked by our species quiz, and the enthusiasm we saw around the AEM poster competition, it was a week full of meaningful connections for Pensoft.
We’re already looking forward to the next time, and we hope you’re looking forward to it, too!
Pensoft has been awarded the Seal of Recognition for the FAO AGRIS Active Data Provider of the Year for 2027. The seal is granted by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations through its AGRIS initiative, and it recognises institutions that consistently share open-access agricultural research with the global community.
Notably, Pensoft joined the FAO AGRIS network back in 2024, and the organisation has renewed our seal every year since, a recognition we’re proud to have kept.
What has changed is the scale of our contribution. In 2024, Pensoft’s records on AGRIS numbered just under 15,000. Today, that figure has doubled to nearly 30,000, drawn from all 51 of our journals that fall within the scope of FAO AGRIS. The subjects covered are wide-ranging, spanning taxonomy, biodiversity, conservation and biogeography – these are all areas that feed directly into sustainable agriculture and natural resource management.
Through AGRIS, this research travels well beyond our own journals to researchers, policymakers and practitioners worldwide, adding to the shared pool of open knowledge that supports global food security and environmental sustainability. We’re glad to keep contributing to that effort, and look forward to continuing our work with FAO AGRIS in the years to come.
About FAO
The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) is a specialised agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Its goal is to achieve food security for all, ensuring that people have regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active, healthy lives. With 194 members, 193 countries and the European Union, FAO works in over 130 countries worldwide.
About Pensoft
Founded in 1992 “by scientists, for scientists,” Pensoft is an academic open-access publishing company well known worldwide for its cutting-edge publishing tools, workflows and methods for text and data publishing of journals, books and conference materials. In 2010, Pensoft became the first scientific publisher to introduce semantic enrichments in scholarly publications. Through its Research and Technical Development department, the company is involved in a range of research and technology projects.
Between 6-10 July, more than 850 participants from 25 countries gathered in Leiden, the Netherlands, for the 8th European Congress of Conservation Biology (ECCB) 2026.
The congress was organised by the Society for Conservation Biology (SCB) and hosted at Leiden University (FWN/CML), in partnership with Hortus botanicus, Wageningen University & Research (WUR), and NIOO-KNAW, with support from the Leiden Biodiversity Network.
Opening ceremony of ECCB 2026
Head of PR and Journal Development representing Pensoft at ECCB 2026.
Exhibitor and poster hall at ECCB 2026.
Effective Biodiversity Conservation
Under the theme “Effective Biodiversity Conservation,” the congress brought together researchers, policymakers, and practitioners to explore how biodiversity can be safeguarded over the long term. Its core message was that effective conservation cannot rest on the efforts of conservationists alone. It requires coordinated, multidisciplinary, science-based action across society.
Opening ceremony of ECCB 2026.
Prof. Dr. Geert de Snoo and his “1% of GDP for safeguarding nature!” presentation
Dr. Laura Bosco, President of SCB Europe, opened the congress and set the scene for the week ahead. Prof. Dr. Geert de Snoo, one of the congress’s co-organisers, followed with the presentation: “1% of GDP for safeguarding nature!” – a call to set aside 1% of global GDP to help close the biodiversity funding gap, given that half of the world’s GDP depends on natural ecosystem services, and to protect 30% of the Earth’s land and oceans by 2030.
From there, the programme ran packed with symposia, roundtables, and workshops covering policymaking and effectiveness, conservation planning, new methods for measuring and quantifying biodiversity, eDNA for conservation, citizen science, and remote sensing, alongside a poster session held each day.
Pensoft at he 8th European Congress of Conservation Biology (ECCB) 2026.
Our stand stood out with professionally designed booth walls and enjoyed a strong flow of visitors throughout the congress. Delegates met Pensoft’s Head of Journal Development and PR, Iva Boyadzhieva, who answered questions about publishing opportunities and scholarly resources, including Advanced Books, Pensoft’s platform for publishing open-access monographs, edited volumes, and other book-length scholarly works.
People spinning Pensoft’s Fortune Wheel to win prizes.
People signing up to Pensoft’s newsletter and spinning the wheel.
For the first time, our booth also ran an interactive game, where visitors could spin a wheel to win some prizes. The game rules were simple: visitors filled out a subscription form for one or more journals, spun a wheel featuring the names of journals relevant to the congress, and won a sticker matching the journal they landed on.
Visitor at Pensoft’s booth at the 8th European Congress of Conservation Biology, interacting with the wheel.
Curiously, the illustrations on the vivid stickers are not coincidental: each features a scientific illustration by Denitsa Peneva of a species discussed in a publication from across Pensoft’s scholarly portfolio – a nod to the authors who chose one of our journals to share their research.
Individual-Based Ecology and Agricultural and Environmental Modelling on focus at ECCB 2026.
A particular highlight was our trio of diamond open-access journals, free to publish in and free to read, that drew considerable interest from attendees:
Individual-Based Ecologypromotes a distinctive individual-based perspective on ecology, aiming to bridge individual behaviour and broader ecological patterns.
Advances in Pollinator Research covers the full spectrum of pollinator science, from pollination ecology to conservation, designed as an innovative platform for the full spectrum of pollinator science, from pollination ecology and pollinator-plant interactions to molecular ecology, conservation and more.
Agricultural and Environmental Modelling, meanwhile, offers an innovative approach to publishing, dedicated to advancing both the science and practice of modelling across Agriculture, Food Systems, Natural Resources, and Environmental Sciences.
Familiar faces at the stand
Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Nature Conservation, Dr. Annegret Grimm-Seyfarth, at Pensoft’s booth at ECCB 2026.
Prof. Davy McCracken, Subject Editor at Nature Conservation.
Dr. Niels Raes, project coordinator of Biodiversity Meets Data at ECCB 2026.
Martina Viti and Annika Zuleger, authors that have published across Pensoft’s journal at ECCB 2026.
Our booth was visited by Nature Conservation’s Deputy Editor-in-Chief Annegret Grimm-Seyfarth. Earlier that week, she also co-organised a symposium, “How can Wildlife Detection Dogs contribute to effective biodiversity conservation in Europe?” As well as one of Nature Conservation’s Subject Editor, Prof. Davy McCracken and Dr. Niels Raes, the project coordinator of Biodiversity Meets Data.
We also met one of our authors, Andra Neagu, in person. We recently ran a PR campaign on her and her team’s research analysing more than 1,100 media reports from 2007 to 2024 to uncover patterns in wildlife poaching across Romania, which you can read here.
Andra Neagu, an author at Nature Conservation at Pensoft’s booth at ECCB 2026.
Andra Neagu next to her scientific poster at ECCB 2026.
Looking ahead
Closing ceremony of ECCB 2026.
Closing ceremony of ECCB 2026.
It was a pleasure to be part of ECCB 2026 and to connect with so many researchers, policymakers, and practitioners working toward effective biodiversity conservation.
Save the date: SCB’s 33rd International Congress for Conservation Biology (ICCB 2027) will be held in Puebla, Mexico, at the end of June or beginning of July 2027.
Held from 22-26 June 2026, the symposium brought together researchers working across the full spectrum of the field, from Earth Observation and vegetation databases to plant community interactions, seed regeneration, and long-term vegetation dynamics. From opening keynotes to the closing ceremony, the energy, curiosity, and collegiality of our community made this one for the books.
A Packed Scientific Programme
The opening ceremony of the 68th IAVS Annual Symposium.
Pensoft’s stand at the 68th Annual Symposium.
Pensoft’s stand at the 68th IAVS Annual Symposium.
Alongside the core symposium topics, this year’s programme featured seven special sessions on some of the field’s most pressing questions, including bringing different vegetation classification approaches together, plant biogeography and macroecology, scaling laws in vegetation ecology, belowground functional ecology and more.
Moreover, the session themed “Bringing the different vegetation classification approaches together”, sponsored by the IAVS Vegetation Classification Working Group, will be used as a basis for assembling a Special Collection in the open-access journal Vegetation Classification and Survey (VCS).
Two of VCS’ Editors-in-Chief also took the stage this year: Prof. Jürgen Dengler shared a presentation called “Plant invasions in grasslands of Switzerland: invaders, spatial patterns and effects on biodiversity”.
While Dr. Idoia Biurrun presented “The power of scale: uncovering biodiversity patterns and environmental drivers in riparian forests”.
Spotlight On Our Vegetation Science Journals
Speaking of that journal, we’ve been proud collaborators with IAVS since 2020, when we launched Vegetation Classification and Survey (VCS) together as the association’s newest journal. At this year’s symposium, we had the chance to showcase both VCS and our other flagship vegetation title, Vegetation Ecology and Diversity (VED), to the community.
Vegetation Classification and Survey promotional materials from the 68th IAVS Annual Symposium.
Vegetation Classification and Survey (VCS) is an international, peer-reviewed, online journal on plant community ecology, published on behalf of IAVS. It is devoted to vegetation survey and classification at any organisational and spatial scale, welcoming original papers that develop new vegetation typologies as well as applied studies, from vegetation mapping and ecosystem modelling to nature conservation and land-use management.
Five years after launch, VCS is boasting a2025 Scopus CiteScore of 4.7(up from 3.6 the year before), and the journal is now ranked Q1 across all the categories in which it is indexed.
Vegetation Ecology and Diversity promotional materials from the 68th IAVS Annual Symposium.
Vegetation Ecology and Diversity (VED) is a peer-reviewed, open-access journal owned by the Italian Society of Vegetation Science (SISV). It publishes original research covering all aspects of vegetation, from plant communities to landscapes, with a particular focus on plant community ecology and vegetation surveys used to advance ecological models, classify vegetation, map ecosystems, and monitor and conserve European habitats.
A Productive Conversation About VCS’s Future
Pensoft’s team presenting during the Editorial Meeting at the 68th IAVS Annual Symposium.
Editorial meeting at the 68th IAVS Symposium.
Editorial Meeting at IAVS 2026.
For Pensoft, one of the standout moments of the symposium was the VCS editorial meeting, where we had the chance to sit down with members of the journal’s editorial board for a candid and productive discussion about Vegetation Classification and Survey‘s current position and its prospects for future growth. It was a valuable opportunity to hear directly from the people shaping the journal’s direction and to plan the next steps together.
Pensoft’s Head of Marketing, Sales and Events with Susan WiserP resident of IAVS during the 68th Annual Symposium.
During the symposium, Pensoft’s stand was visited by Susan Wiser, President of IAVS, giving our on-site team the chance to discuss our ongoing publishing collaboration.
Celebrating The Next Generation Of Vegetation Scientists
Celia González-López receiving the Young Scientist Award at the 68th IAVS Annual Symposium.
Оne of the many highlights that week was seeing the Young Scientist Award go to Celia González-López, recognising her outstanding early-career contributions to the field. Curiously, González-López is among the co-authors of a recent paper in Natural History Collections and Museomics, describing a workflow for creating 3D-printed insect replicas to make museum collections more accessible for education and outreach.
Looking Ahead
Group photo at the end of the conference. Credit to IAVS.
It was a great pleasure to become part of the IAVS community, and we look forward to an even stronger collaboration and many productive achievements together in the years to come.
Save the date: the 69th IAVS Annual Symposium will be held in Kumasi, Ashanti Region, Ghana, from 12-16 July 2027.
You can follow Pensoft on Bluesky, Facebook, X and LinkedIn to keep up all the latest updates and the events we are attending.
Study in Metabarcoding and Metagenomics investigated the availability of intact fish cells in water as a source of high-quality eDNA, using live and dead Rainbow Trout.
Fish naturally release their DNA into surrounding waters, a phenomenon that has long powered environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis for detecting species without direct observation. Now, we are aiming for a leap beyond simple species identification toward fine-scale genomic analysis – a frontier that demands much higher-quality DNA samples.
Environmental DNA analysis as a biodiversity assessment tool
Environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis is a non-invasive technique that extracts and detects the genetic material of target species from environmental samples such as water and soil, and it has rapidly transformed biodiversity monitoring. Compared to traditional tools, like catch-and-release or visual surveys, this technique possesses remarkably higher sensitivity, demonstrating unparalleled utility in detecting rare, elusive, or invasive species. Because it is cost-effective and highly efficient, eDNA analysis has become a new biodiversity assessment tool for mapping species distribution on a broad scale.
However, the current primary objective of eDNA analysis largely remains at qualitative species identification – simply asking “what species are here?” – making it an urgent priority to advance the technique toward extracting detailed and much deeper ecological information.
The importance of the “individuality” of cells for further development
The next great frontier for eDNA analysis is its application to population genetics. To understand the health, evolutionary history, genetic diversity, inbreeding, or to identify hybrid individuals within specific populations, extracting high-quality genomic information across multiple genes (multilocus) is essential.
Chum salmon. Photo credit to Jeff Duda, one of the co-authors of the study.
However, free-floating DNA in the environment (bulk eDNA) is rapidly degraded by microbial activity and environmental factors, leaving it highly fragmented. Furthermore, because it is a “genetic soup” mixed with shredded DNA from hundreds of different individuals, the loss of physical linkage – the “individuality” of the genetic material – remains the greatest roadblock.
To solve this, we focused on capturing “intact cells.” A physically undamaged cell membrane acts like a biological shield, protecting the fragile DNA inside from the harsh, degrading environment outside. By isolating these intact cells from environmental water and performing single-cell analysis, it would make it possible to read the complete, uncorrupted genetic fingerprint of a single individual. The study is now available in the open-access journal Metabarcoding & Metagenomics.
eDNA from dead fish is not just noise
To establish a method to specifically detect and quantify intact cells from environmental samples, we conducted a five-day laboratory experiment using live and dead Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss).
Experimental tanks used in the study. Photo by Hiroki Yamanaka, Ryukoku University.
Experimental tanks used in the study. Photo by Hiroki Yamanaka, Ryukoku University.
To distinguish the DNA inside intact cells from the free-floating, degraded DNA in the environment, we utilized propidium monoazide (PMA), a photoreactive DNA intercalating dye. PMA permeates into broken cell membrane and binds the DNA inside off the cell as well as the free-floating DNA outside of the cells; when exposed to strong visible light, it forms cross-links with DNA molecules that physically block subsequent PCR amplification. This effectively silences the “noise,” allowing us to selectively quantify only the pristine DNA protected inside intact cells with healthy membranes.
Rainbow Trout waiting for the introduction to the experimental tanks. Photo by Hiroki Yamanaka, Ryukoku University.
The results of this experiment were a revelation that flips conventional understanding in eDNA analysis. Historically, fish carcasses were viewed as a significant nuisance-biological noise that sheds massive amounts of DNA, causing false-positive detections or distorting biomass estimates.
But, this study demonstrated that carcasses release significantly higher concentrations of both total eDNA and PMA-resistant (intact-cell) eDNA compared to living fish. Particularly on Day 2 and Day 3 of the experiment, tanks containing carcasses yielded roughly 30 times more intact-cell DNA than tanks with live fish. In short, carcasses proved to be a promising source for the high-integrity cells that researchers desperately need.
Cell-by-cell analysis opens the door for the future
Counting and measuring Rainbow Trout used in the study. Photo by Hiroki Yamanaka, Ryukoku University.
This discovery presents a paradigm shift in our understanding of environmental sampling strategies for advanced genomic analysis. To acquire pristine genetic data, sampling waters during or immediately after known mass mortality events in nature-such as the natural die-offs after Pacific salmon migrate and spawn-could be a highly effective approach.
Access to perfectly preserved intact cells paves the way for a revolution in environmental monitoring. By integrating single-cell genomics with eDNA technology, we can overcome the loss of physical linkage that has plagued population genetics. Instead of looking at a mixed picture of DNA from multiple individuals, isolating individual cells for analysis makes it possible to compute exact inbreeding coefficients, map out local population structures, and identify hybrid species. This effectively bridges the gap between basic species detection and highly advanced ecological tracking, providing a technological foundation to deeply monitor the genetic health of entire ecosystems from just a few liters of water.
Limitations and further efforts required
Illustration of Double Helix DNA Structure. Credit to Sumali Ibnu Chamid via Canva.
While this research provides pioneering insights, vital challenges requiring further validation remain. First, because this was a carefully controlled laboratory experiment using a single species (Rainbow Trout), further empirical studies involving a diverse array of taxa in complex, unpredictable natural environments are needed to ensure universal application.
Second, the technological tools – specifically the PMA dye method – require fine-tuning. Our observations confirmed that it sometimes struggles to fully suppress the PCR amplification of extracellular DNA, particularly when targeting the very short DNA fragments (short amplicons) often used in fish eDNA assays. Additionally, as a biological reality, DNA self-degradation by internal cellular enzymes continues even inside the cell. Thus, scientists still need to quantitatively evaluate and model the exact decay rates of DNA housed inside these protective cell membranes.
Despite these technical hurdles, the approach of harnessing the intact cells shed by organisms after they die brightly illuminates a highly promising path toward unlocking the full, high-resolution genetic story of our natural world with parallel development of single cell analysis on the cells from water shed by multicellular organisms.
Note:single cell analysis is commonly conducted on microbes which are unicellular organisms. However, single cell analysis on environment-medium derived multicellular organisms is very scarce for now. The main purpose of the current work was to determine a good timing / good location for cell collection to assure higher concentration of cells with high quality DNA to make the technical tests easier for the single cell analysis development on environmental samples.
Original source:
Yamanaka H, Hirohara T, Hoy MS, Chase DM, Duda JJ, Ostberg CO (2026) Live and dead fish shed different amounts of intact cells: Implications for advancing environmental DNA methodologies. Metabarcoding and Metagenomics 10: e177451. https://doi.org/10.3897/mbmg.10.177451
New study in Metabarcoding and Metagenomics shares results from FRESHBAR, the first large-scale barcode reference for Nordic benthic freshwater diatoms.
Diatom DNA metabarcoding holds great potential for biodiversity monitoring and ecological assessment, particularly within the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) and the recently introduced EU Nature Restoration Law (NRL). However, several challenges remain, among which gaps in reference databases have been identified as a major obstacle, especially for understudied habitats and ecoregions.
Ribbon-shaped chains representing colony formation of Eunotia implicata Nörpel, Lange-Bertalot & Alles. Credit to Maria Kahlert.
Stacked chain colonies of Eunotia incisa W.Smith ex W.Gregory. Credit to Maria Kahlert.
In this context, we present results from the national barcoding project (FRESHBAR), conducted between 2019 and 2023 and focusing on benthic freshwater diatoms of Sweden, a key organism group for both ecology and environmental assessment. The study was recently published in the open-accessMetabarcoding and Metagenomics journal. A primary goal of the project was the publication and vouchering of all data, materials, and results to support further research.
Pin-cushion-like colonies (tufts of upright cells sharing a common pad of mucilage at the base) of Eunotia cf. seminulum Nörpel-Schempp & Lange-Bertalot. Credit to Maria Kahlert.
Pin-cushion-like colonies of cells of the Eunotia flexuosa/ pseudoflexuosa/ latitaenia – group. Credit to Maria Kahlert.
The project established a total of 312 diatom cultures, with a focus on oligotrophic and acidic habitats. The cultures were sequenced for two barcodes (rbcL and 18SV4) and identified using light microscopy, while selected strains were additionally examined by scanning electron microscopy. All data, including sampling metadata, barcode sequences, images, and voucher material, were published in accordance with the FAIR principles, and a subset of cultures was archived in diatom culture collections.
Chain-forming colonies in bracelet form of the Eunotia flexuosa/ pseudoflexuosa/ latitaenia – group. Credit to Maria Kahlert.
Nearly all strains were successfully sequenced, identifying 51 taxa across 17 genera. A notable highlight was the relatively high proportion of Eunotia taxa, a genus poorly represented in diatom databases yet frequently encountered in Swedish freshwaters. Beyond molecular and morphological data, we also captured images of colony formation and sexual reproduction stages from living cultures, information that is only rarely documented.
Sexual reproduction (auxospore formation) and ribbon-shaped chains representing colony formation of Eunotia sp. Credit to Maria Kahlert.
Sexual reproduction (auxospore formation) and ribbon-shaped chains representing colony formation of E. myrmica Lange-Bertalot. Credit to Maria Kahlert.
FRESHBAR represents the first large-scale effort to generate barcode reference sequences for Nordic benthic freshwater diatoms. As all data are publicly available, we are confident that the added sequences and morphological information will contribute to more accurate species-level identification, help resolve taxonomic relationships within diatoms, and improve reference databases for environmental monitoring and research.
Original source:
Kahlert M, Mora D, Kusber W-H, Abarca N, Zimmermann J (2026) New DNA barcode reference data of freshwater diatoms (Bacillariophyceae) from Sweden: old acquaintances and new taxa. Metabarcoding and Metagenomics 10: e186778. https://doi.org/10.3897/mbmg.10.186778
Aligning with the International Day for Biological Diversity‘s theme of “Acting locally for global impact,” researchers have released a comprehensive blueprint for building a robust, globally adaptable network of DNA barcoding practitioners.
Heat map illustrating the heterogeneity in the number of available DNA barcode records with species assignment. Data were retrieved from the BOLD Systems data portal in November 2025. Credit to Kaitetzidou et al., 2026.
DNA barcoding has become a cornerstone for modern species identification and biodiversity monitoring, proving vital for applications ranging from ecological research to conservation and environmental policy. Since its inception, the DNA barcoding community worldwide has been convening under the aegis of the International Barcode of Life (iBOL), which provides necessary global coordination. To implement barcoding at scale, build local capacity, and translate scientific advances into actionable practice, iBOL national nodes have been established since the 2010s
Drawing on a survey and workshop conducted under the Horizon Europe Biodiversity Genomics Europe project, this research synthesises experiences from 20 countries, including 17 in Europe, and examines how national nodes are initiated, governed, and sustained. Common challenges included defining scope, securing sustainable funding, harmonising methodologies, and engaging stakeholders. For example, a particularly striking finding was how rarely node coordinators sought guidance from established networks before setting up their own.
The decision-making process and steps taken were almost entirely based on intuition and the experience from other within-country activities, as well as their perceptions of the activities of other nations’ barcoding nodes,
the researchers note.
Countries are highlighted whose representatives of a national initiative responded to the questionnaire (yellow), attended the workshop (green) or both (yellow–green stripes). Peru and South Africa are not displayed on the map; however, representatives of their national nodes took part in the survey and the workshop, respectively. Credit to Kaitetzidou et al., 2026.
Central to the paper are ten practical recommendations to ensure the establishment and long-term success of national DNA barcoding nodes. The authors emphasise several key priorities, primarily the construction of comprehensive DNA barcode reference libraries and the critical need to align scientific activities with practical biomonitoring requirements.
Furthermore, they strongly advocate for promoting FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) and CARE data principles, alongside implementing focused strategies for capacity building, methodological standardisation, communication, and diverse stakeholder engagement.
Stronger national infrastructures will enhance Europe’s capacity for DNA-based biodiversity monitoring and support metabarcoding and metagenomic research. Building on milestones such as the establishment of iBOL Europe in 2022, these local efforts add up to real progress on species discovery, conservation, and environmental management worldwide.
This paper has been published with the support of the Biodiversity Genomics Europe project, funded through Horizon Europe, the UK Research & Innovation Fund and the Swiss Confederation (https://biodiversitygenomics.eu/).
Original source:
Kaitetzidou E, Gadawski P, Goodall-Copestake WP, Dankova G, Gkagkavouzis K, Holak S, Rewicz T, Bącela-Spychalska K, Mamos T, Fantoni K, Jabłońska A, Tończyk G, Trębicki Ł, Aravanopoulos FA, Bruschini C, Bonchev G, Dagher Kharrat MB, Čiampor F, Costa FO, Dapporto L, Ekrem T, Ferreira S, Geiger M, Hausmann A, Hebert PDN, Kalamujić Stroil B, Kamenova S, Kautmanova I, Keskin E, Kučinić M, Lipinskaya T, Mutanen M, Papakostas S, Price B, Ramírez R, Rougerie R, Rulik B, Szucsich N, Van Der Bank M, Triantafyllidis A, Hollingsworth PM, Grabowski M (2026) Empowering national capacity for DNA-based approach to species identification and biodiversity monitoring. Metabarcoding and Metagenomics 10: e183268. https://doi.org/10.3897/mbmg.10.183268
