Soil fauna across Central European sandstone ravines with temperature inversion: From cool and shady to dry and hot places

Sandstone massifs with their deep ravines or gorges offer the instructive opportunity to study the response of organisms to steep environmental gradients. In 2008–2010, many groups of soil fauna were studied along transects across three ravines in the Bohemian Switzerland National Park (north-western Czech Republic), a part of the Elbe Sandstone Massif. Each transect included five sampling positions: two opposite edges, two opposite mid-slope positions, and the ravine bottom. The ravines had a specific microclimate characterized by temperature inversion. In general, the cooler and more humid ravine bottoms had also less acid soil with lower carbon content but enriched by litter of deciduous trees and herbs. The other transect positions were characterized by spruce (mid-slopes) and pine (edges) stands with mor humus, exposed to drought in the upper parts. The soil animal communities (identified to species level) differed substantially in dependence on their position along the transects. Ravine bottoms hosted a diverse soil fauna, including a rich macrofauna. The thick duff layer of acid soils on the slopes and edges hosted a poorer fauna but supported high densities of important decomposers such as enchytraeids, oribatid mites and microbivorous nematodes. In general, these were higher on the slopes, presumably due to the drought exposure of the edges. Vertical position in the ravine and soil pH were the most important factors explaining community composition. This confirmed that the area's high geomorphological diversity, leading to steep microclimatic gradients and heterogenous soil conditions, is a major cause of its high biodiversity. A shift in community structure in the lower parts of the ravines, observed after the first half of the study period, was possibly caused by summer flash floods. An increased frequency and severity of dry spells and flash floods due to heavy rains, predicted by relevant climate warming scenarios, will probably have an detrimental effect on the ravines'soil fauna.     

Black soldier fly and yellow mealworm live larvae for broiler chickens: Effects on bird performance and health status

The commercial broiler chicken strains are the result of successful selection programmes. Most of the problems related to welfare arise from the high growth rate and body weight. The use of environmental enrichments in intensive farming could have a positive effect on birds by increasing animal welfare. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effects of Hermetia illucens (HI) and Tenebrio molitor (TM) live larvae in the diets of broiler chickens on growth performance, carcass yield and health status. A total of 180 four-day-old male broiler chickens (Ross 308) were randomly allotted to 18 pens. Each pen was assigned to one of the three dietary treatments (6 replicates/treatment, 10 birds/replicate) as follows: (i) control diet (C): commercial feed (two feeding phases: starter [4–11 days] and grower [12–38 days]), (ii) HI: C + 5% of the expected daily feed intake (DFI) HI live larvae (calculated on dry matter [DM]) and (iii) TM: C + 5% of DFI TM live larvae (DM). At 39 days of age, birds were slaughtered. Growth performance parameters were overall not affected by dietary treatments, except for the grower phase feed conversion ratio (FCR) and the overall FCR being better in the TM broilers than the others (p < 0.01). No differences were observed for slaughtering performance and haematological and serum parameters, except for the spleen relative weight being higher (p < 0.01) in the birds administered with larvae when compared to the C group. Gut morphometric indexes and histopathological alterations were not influenced by insect larvae administration. In conclusion, the administration in limited quantities of HI and TM live larvae as environmental enrichment has no negative effects on broiler chicken growth performance and health status. A behavioural study could confirm that live insect larvae represent a novel natural environmental enrichment in broiler farming.     

口蹄疫病毒VP1基因密码子偏好性分析

VP1蛋白是口蹄疫病毒(FMDV)的主要结构蛋白,可诱导机体产生中和抗体以及激发保护性免疫应答。为探究VP1基因密码子偏好性,筛选出其最佳体外表达系统,使用Visual Gene Developer、CodonW、GraphPad Prism等软件,对VP1基因进行密码子偏好性分析,同时将VP1基因密码子使用频率与大肠杆菌、毕赤酵母、昆虫杆状病毒和哺乳动物细胞表达系统作了比较。结果显示,VP1基因的CAI为0.21,ENC为55.43,GC3S为65.26%,表明该基因密码子使用偏好较弱并且密码子偏好以G/C碱基结尾。结合VP1基因与各表达系统密码子使用频率比值,发现其与昆虫杆状病毒表达系统频率比值差异最小且CAI最大,因此推断昆虫杆状病毒表达系统是FMDV VP1基因最适体外表达系统。本研究为FMDV亚单位疫苗研制等提供了技术基础。     

Flowering phenology of a herbaceous species (Poa annua) is regulated by soil Collembola

The role of soil organisms as possible driver of flowering has never been investigated. We hypothesized that Collembola (microarthropods) will change plant allocation to reproductive modes by changing soil nutrient availability. Individual seedlings of Poa annua were planted in microcosms, in the presence or absence of Collembola. Collembola affected biotic (fungal biomass) and abiotic ($\text{N}-{{\text{NO}}_3}^{-}$, P₂O₅) soil properties and some morphological (number of leaves, root biomass) and chemical (C:N, K, Mg, N) traits of P. annua. As a result, flowering of P. annua was promoted by the presence of Collembola. This provides experimental evidence that soil microarthropods can affect the reproduction strategy and phenology of a plant.     

Effects of dietary Tenebrio molitor meal inclusion in free‐range chickens

Insects are currently being considered as a novel protein source for animal feeds, because they contain a large amount of protein. The larvae of Tenebrio molitor (TM) have been shown to be an acceptable protein source for broiler chickens in terms of growth performance, but till now, no data on histological or intestinal morphometric features have been reported. This study has had the aim of evaluating the effects of dietary TM inclusion on the performance, welfare, intestinal morphology and histological features of free‐range chickens. A total of 140 medium‐growing hybrid female chickens were free‐range reared and randomly allotted to two dietary treatments: (i) a control group and (ii) a TM group, in which TM meal was included at 75 g/kg. Each group consisted of five pens as replicates, with 14 chicks per pen. Growth performance, haematological and serum parameters and welfare indicators were evaluated, and the animals were slaughtered at the age of 97 days. Two birds per pen (10 birds/treatment) were submitted to histological (liver, spleen, thymus, bursa of Fabricius, kidney, heart, glandular stomach and gut) and morphometric (duodenum, jejunum and ileum) investigations. The inclusion of TM did not affect the growth performance, haematological or serum parameters. The morphometric and histological features were not significantly affected either, thus suggesting no influence on nutrient metabolization, performance or animal health. Glandular stomach alterations (chronic flogosis with epithelial squamous metaplasia) were considered paraphysiological in relation to free‐range farming. The observed chronic intestinal flogosis, with concomitant activation of the lymphoid tissue, was probably due to previous parasitic infections, which are very frequently detected in free‐range chickens. In conclusion, the findings of this study show that yellow mealworm inclusion does not affect the welfare, productive performances or morphological features of free‐range chickens, thus confirming that TM can be used safely in poultry diets.     

Being exposed to low concentrations of pirimiphos-methyl and chlorfenapyr has detrimental effects on the mobility of Trogoderma granarium

BACKGROUND

Sublethal effects of insecticides may negatively affect several biological and behavioral traits of insects. The lethal effects of pirimiphos-methyl and chlorfenapyr have been previously showed on Trogoderma granarium, but little knowledge is available about their sublethal effects at low concentrations on both sexes. Herein, the sublethal effects of pirimiphos-methyl and chlorfenapyr on the mobility of T. granarium males and females were investigated.

RESULTS

Lethal concentration (LC) values of pirimiphos-methyl and chlorfenapyr were lower for T. granarium females than males. LC values on males were LC₁₀ = 0.000788 and 0.00139 mg active ingredient (a.i.) cm⁻², LC₃₀ = 0.00350 and 0.00535 mg a.i. cm⁻², and LC₅₀ = 0.00986 and 0.0136 mg a.i. cm⁻² for pirimiphos-methyl and chlorfenapyr respectively. LC on females were LC₁₀ = 0.000704 and 0.00110 mg a.i. cm⁻², LC₃₀ = 0.00323 and 0.00428 mg a.i. cm⁻², and LC₅₀ = 0.00925 and 0.0110 mg a.i. cm⁻² for pirimiphos-methyl and chlorfenapyr respectively. The walking duration of beetles exposed to LC₃₀ of pirimiphos-methyl was significantly lower than the individuals exposed to LC₁₀ and LC₃₀ of both insecticides and control ones. Pirimiphos-methyl LC₃₀-exposed males remained more time on their back (101.7 s) than females (46.9 s), while the latter stayed immobile longer than males (381.7 s versus 371.9 s). The highest speed was recorded for control beetles (14.17 mm s⁻¹ females vs. 12.44 mm s⁻¹ males), while the lowest speed was observed in pirimiphos-methyl LC₃₀-treated males (8.36 mm s⁻¹) and females (9.66 mm s⁻¹).

CONCLUSIONS

Overall, males and females exposed to low concentrations of pirimiphos-methyl and chlorfenapyr showed reduced motility. This knowledge can be exploited further to unlock behavioral effects of insecticides for effective pest management programs in warehouses. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.     

不同颜色粘虫板对葡萄园昆虫的诱集效应

为筛选出对葡萄害虫诱集效果好的粘虫板,选用黄色、蓝色、白色、紫色、绿色、红色、黑色和荧光色8种颜色的粘虫板对葡萄园内昆虫进行诱集试验。结果表明,共诱到昆虫7目18科22种,主要害虫有蓟马、蚜虫和叶蝉,其中蓟马数量占到昆虫总量的88.96%,天敌昆虫主要有寄生蜂、捕食性瓢虫、食蚜蝇和东亚小花蝽。紫板、蓝板和白板对蓟马的诱集效果强,黄板、荧光板和绿板次之,红板和黑板效果差;黄板对蚜虫诱集效果强,绿板和荧光板次之,黄板与其他色板之间差异显著;黄板、荧光板和绿板对叶蝉的诱集效果好,3种色板与蓝板之间差异不显著、与其他色板差异显著。白板、蓝板和黄板诱集到的天敌数量最多,占所有颜色粘虫板诱集天敌总量的69%左右。试验期间诱集到的昆虫益害比为0.036,各色板的益害比依次为黑色>荧光色>绿色>红色>黄色>白色>蓝色>紫色,其中紫板的益害比最低,仅为0.011。结合各色板的诱虫效果和益害比进行综合分析,建议选用紫板对蓟马进行诱杀,适时适量选择性使用黄板对蚜虫、叶蝉等进行诱杀。     

大数据时代山东农业病虫害监测预警体系建设

在大数据时代,海量的数据资源是推动经济发展和社会进步的基石,丰富、透明、完善的农业大数据资源是加快农业信息化建设步伐的前提,先进、有序、完备的农业病虫害监测预警体系是服务绿色农业发展的支撑。该研究试图在研究国内外农业病虫害监测预警体系的基础上,在农业专家的指导下,进行大数据时代农业病虫害监测预警体系构建。山东农业病虫害监测预警体系的建设应主动适应大数据时代的发展需求,分步构建病虫害监测预警体系,分层划分病虫害数据中心工作,合理布局病虫害数据采集站点,科学制定病虫害监测预警任务,共建共享病虫害监测数据信息,有效加强病虫害联合监测预警,努力研发病虫害智能识别终端,为发展现代高效农业提供坚实的保障。     

昆虫取食和剪叶刺激对油松针叶内部分防御物质的诱导效应

为了研究自然条件下昆虫取食及剪叶刺激对油松诱导抗性的影响,本试验应用香草醛—盐酸法,亚硝酸钠—硝酸铝比色法以及紫外分光光度法,分析了剪叶和不同程度油松毛虫取食处理后,混交林和纯林中油松针叶内部分次生代谢物和蛋白酶抑制剂活性的动态变化。结果表明:剪叶及不同程度油松毛虫取食能够诱导缩合单宁、黄酮含量和胰蛋白酶抑制剂、胰凝乳蛋白酶抑制剂活性增加。与对照相比,胰凝乳蛋白酶抑制剂在混交林中的活性比纯林更为明显。说明剪叶及昆虫取食可诱导增加油松针叶内的缩合单宁和黄酮含量、提高胰蛋白酶抑制剂和胰凝乳蛋白酶抑制剂的活性,进而增强油松的抗虫性,林分类型可在一定程度上影响油松诱导防御物质的变化。     

Soil microarthropods are only weakly impacted after 13 years of repeated drought treatment in wet and dry heathland soils

Studies of biological responses in the terrestrial environment to rapid changes in climate have mostly been concerned with aboveground biota, whereas less is known of belowground organisms. The present study focuses on mites and springtails of heathland ecosystems and how the microarthropod community has responded to simulated climate change in a long-term field experiment. Increased temperature and repeated drought was applied for 13 years to field plots located in Wales, The Netherlands and Denmark representing sites of contrasting climatic conditions with respect to precipitation and temperature. This approach provided an opportunity to study biological responses on a local (within sites) and regional scale. Warming treatments increasing night time temperature (0.3–1 °C higher than ambient at 5 cm soil depth) had no detectable effects on the microarthropod communities. Increased intensity and frequency of drought had only weak persistent effects on springtail species composition, but practically no effect on major mite groups (Oribatida, Prostigmata or Mesostigmata) suggesting that ecosystem functions of microarthropods may only be transiently impacted by repeated spring or summer drought.