Comparative performance of the highly invasive Mimosa invisa and its less invasive subspecies under different nutrient and light conditions

Invasive plants may be more plastic than non‐invasive plants and maintain high fitness under various environmental conditions. Previous studies mainly focused on the comparisons between invasive and native plants, and comparisons between highly invasive and less invasive exotic species are still relatively rare, especially for comparisons at the subspecies level. This study examined the effects of nutrient addition and shading on the performance of the highly invasive Mimosa invisa and its less invasive subspecies M. invisa var. inermis under either isolated or competitive conditions. Nutrient addition increased biomass and plant height and decreased root‐to‐shoot ratio (R/S). Shading decreased biomass and R/S and increased plant height. Under isolated conditions, the two invaders did not differ in R/S, plant height and plasticity of these traits in response to nutrient addition or shading, and the two invaders also did not differ in biomass production under each of the nutrient and light treatments. When the two invaders competed with each other, M. invisa outcompeted M. invisa var. inermis under high soil nutrient conditions, and the two invaders did not differ in performance under other growth conditions. Thus, only considering competition may we find out the difference between highly invasive species and their closely related, less invasive subspecies. Management of M. invisa should focus on habitats with high soil nutrient availability, in which M. invisa is more likely to dominate.     

沙漠蝗生物学特性及防治技术研究进展

历史记载中,沙漠蝗Schistocerca gregaria(Forsk.,1775)主要在北非发生,对当地农作物构成严重威胁。大规模发生时,可向西亚等地继续扩散为害。2020年初沙漠蝗在巴基斯坦、印度大量发生,肆虐为害,对粮食安全和生态安全构成了严重威胁。因其具有迁飞性,周边多个国家面临重大入侵风险。因本次沙漠蝗发生规模与破坏程度堪比1985年非洲蝗灾,2020年2月11日,联合国粮农组织(FAO)向全球发布预警:"高度戒备正在肆虐的蝗灾,防止被入侵国家出现粮食危机"。本文介绍了沙漠蝗分类地位、形态学特征,概述了沙漠蝗生物学特性、监测预警与防治技术研究进展,为科学防控沙漠蝗提供理论支撑。     

Quantifying trophic interactions and niche sizes of juvenile fishes in an invaded riverine cyprinid fish community

Quantifying feeding interactions between nonindigenous and indigenous fishes in invaded fish communities is important for determining how introduced species integrate into native food webs. Here, the trophic interactions of invasive 0+ European barbel Barbus barbus (L.) and the three other principal 0+ fishes in the community, Squalius cephalus (L.), Leuciscus leuciscus (L.) and Phoxinus phoxinus (L.), were investigated in the River Teme, a River Severn tributary in Western England. B. barbus has been present in the River Teme for approximately 40 years. Analyses of stomach contents from samples collected from three sites between June and September 2015 revealed that, overall, fishes displayed a generalist feeding strategy, with most prey having low frequency of selection. Relationships of diet composition versus body length and gape height were species‐specific, with increasing dietary specialisms apparent as the 0+ fishes increased in length and gape height. The trophic niche size of invasive B. barbus was always significantly smaller than S. cephalus and L. leuciscus and was significantly smaller than P. phoxinus at two sites. This was primarily due to differences in the functional morphology of the fishes; 0+ B. barbus were generally restricted to foraging on the benthos, whereas the other fishes were able to forage on prey present throughout the water column. Nevertheless, the invasive B. barbus were exploiting very similar prey items to populations in their native range, suggesting these invaders were strongly pre‐adapted to the River Teme and this arguably facilitated their establishment and invasion.     

Comparative functional responses of native and high‐impacting invasive fishes: impact predictions for native prey populations

Comparative functional responses (FRs) can predict impacts of invasive species, including piscivorous fishes, via quantifying their depletion of native food resources as a function of prey density. The utility of FRs for predicting impacts on prey populations by invasive fishes of different trophic guilds was tested here by comparing the FRs of the invaders Cyprinus carpio and Carassius auratus, with three native, trophically analogous fishes, Barbus barbus, Squalius cephalus and Tinca tinca. Chironomid larvae and Gammarus pulex were used as prey items. Predictions, developed from studies on the foraging of C. carpio and C. auratus in the literature, were that the invaders would have significantly higher consumption rates for chironomids than the native fishes, but not for G. pulex. Mean consumption rates for chironomids were significantly lower for both invaders than B. barbus and S. cephalus, but were similar to T. tinca. Barbus barbus had a significantly lower consumption rate of G. pulex than both invaders, but there were no significant differences between S. cephalus, T. tinca and the invaders. All FRs were type II, with FR curves for the invaders preying upon chironomids never being significantly higher than the native fishes, contrary to predictions. For G. pulex, some significant differences were apparent between the invaders and native fishes, but again were contrary to predictions. These results indicated that when predation impacts of invasive fishes could also be a function of their population density and body sizes, these parameters should be incorporated into FR models to improve impact predictions.     

Major ascaroside pheromone component asc-C5 influences reproductive plasticity among isolates of the invasive species pinewood nematode

Pheromones are communication chemicals and regulatory signals used by animals and represent unique tools for organisms to mediate behaviors and make “decisions” to maximize their fitness. Phenotypic plasticity refers to the innate capacity of a species to tolerate a greater breadth of environmental conditions across which it adapts to improve its survival, reproduction, and fitness. The pinewood nematode, Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, an invasive nematode species, was accidentally introduced from North America into Japan, China, and Europe; however, few studies have investigated its pheromones and phenotypic plasticity as a natural model. Here, we demonstrated a novel phenomenon, in which nematodes under the condition of pheromone presence triggered increased reproduction in invasive strains (JP1, JP2, CN1, CN2, EU1, and EU2), while it simultaneously decreased reproduction in native strains (US1 and US2). The bidirectional effect on fecundity, mediated by presence/absence of pheromones, is henceforth termed pheromone-regulative reproductive plasticity (PRRP). We further found that synthetic ascaroside asc-C5 (ascr#9), the major pheromone component, plays a leading role in PRRP and identified 2 candidate receptor genes, Bxydaf-38 and Bxysrd-10, involved in perceiving asc-C5. These results suggest that plasticity of reproductive responses to pheromones in pinewood nematode may increase its fitness in novel environments following introduction. This opens up a new perspective for invasion biology and presents a novel strategy of invasion, suggesting that pheromones, in addition to their traditional roles in chemical signaling, can influence the reproductive phenotype among native and invasive isolates. In addition, this novel mechanism could broadly explain, through comparative studies of native and invasive populations of animals, a potential underlying factor behind of the success of other biological invasions.     

A network meta‐analysis of threats to South American fish biodiversity

While environmental alterations have made Homo sapiens the hyperkeystone species of the globe, biotic homogenization initiated a new era, the “Homogenocene.” Still, some terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems in South America are considered pristine and wild, which can lead to a general faith that economic progress is consistent with conservation strategies, even without scientific support. We compiled anthropogenic threats to fish biodiversity in a hierarchical meta‐analysis, along with an evidence synthesis of threats related to biological invasions, based on peer‐reviewed research with the aim to represent the actual conservation status of the South American ichthyofauna. We highlighted human‐related threats and synergistic effects of biological invasions, climate change, environmental alterations (e.g., pollution, aquaculture and damming) and fisheries. Considering measures that reinforce novel alien fish (e.g., artificial hybrids or genetically modified) introductions, it became clear why an eventual increase in local or regional species richness is not always beneficial to aquaculture, biodiversity, human well‐being or nature. In fact, citizens in all societal roles, including scientists, should revise their concepts about threats to fish biodiversity. Environmental policies require more than taxonomic diagnostics to achieve conservation goals under an incompatible scenario of a multiplying number of fish species and biotic homogenization. We advocate for countries in South America using science‐based strategies useful to maintain their social and economic growth along with their “remaining nature.” We live a crucial moment when the government overlooks threats to biodiversity and uses agribusiness as the most acceptable manner of fuelling the economy.     

入侵性食叶害虫椰子织蛾的单倍型多样性分析

【目的】分析危害棕榈科Palmae植物的一种重要入侵食叶害虫椰子织蛾Opisina arenosella单倍型在原产地和入侵地的分布特点,揭示椰子织蛾入侵我国的虫源信息。【方法】利用线粒体COI基因分析16个地理种群共计172个样本,比较椰子织蛾印度种群和入侵地(中国、马来西亚和泰国)种群的遗传关系。【结果】片段长度为625 bp的172条序列共鉴定出12个单倍型,包含15个变异位点,构成2个明显的单倍型分支,其中一个分支由11个单倍型(IN1～IN11)组成,均来自印度种群,单倍型IN1是6个印度种群的共享单倍型,IN2～IN11为独享单倍型;另一个分支为单倍型HAP,由来自中国、马来西亚和泰国的种群共享;HAP与11个来自印度的单倍型IN1～IN11均存在4个变异位点。【结论】入侵地区的椰子织蛾种群来自同一基因型或者具有相同的入侵源;椰子织蛾种群入侵后受环境选择压力,在新栖息地产生新的突变或杂交。     

基于最大熵模型预测小火蚁在我国的适生区

小火蚁是中国大陆新发现的重要外来入侵害虫, 目前对该虫的传入来源和在我国的适生区范围尚不明确?为明确我国小火蚁适生区范围, 有效防控该虫在我国的扩散和蔓延, 本研究通过该虫全球已有的分布数据, 采用最大熵模型对其适生区进行了预测?研究表明, 最大熵模型预测小火蚁适生区精度较高?预测结果显示, 我国小火蚁的潜在适生区主要分布于南方, 其中, 高适生区分布在台湾?海南?云南南部边境?广西西南局部?福建西南部?广东南部及其沿海地区?预测结果与该物种现有地理范围的生态条件一致?年降水量对小火蚁的适生性影响最大, 理论年降水量为2 040 mm时小火蚁分布的概率最高?随着全球气候变暖, 未来我国小火蚁的适生区有向北扩大的趋势, 但主要适生区还是以南方为主?