The war against blue mold

An epidemic of blue mold of tobacco unexpectedly attacked crops in the United States and Canada in 1979, causing an estimated loss of almost a quarter billion dollars. The disease, caused by a fungus, apparently started in Cuba where half the crop was destroyed in 1979 and 90 percent in 1980. Control of blue mold is difficult and expensive. Resistant cultivars become susceptible within a few years. A therapeutic fungicide, metalaxyl, gives efficient control, but resistant strains of the fungus may soon appear. Blue mold is an international problem that will require the collaboration of scientists, governments, and Industries for an adequate solution.     

Unraveling the life history of successful invaders

Despite considerable current interest in biological invasions, the common life-history characteristics of successful invaders remain elusive. The widely held hypothesis that successful invaders have high reproductive rates has received little empirical support; however, alternative possibilities are seldom considered. Combining a global comparative analysis of avian introductions (>2700 events) with demographic models and phylogenetic comparative methods, we show that although rapid population growth may be advantageous during invasions under certain circumstances, more generally successful invaders are characterized by life-history strategies in which they give priority to future rather than current reproduction. High future breeding expectations reduce the costs of reproductive failure under uncertain conditions and increase opportunities to explore the environment and respond to novel ecological pressures.     

新冠肺炎疫情对打赢脱贫攻坚战的影响及对策研究

概述了目前我国脱贫攻坚的成效,从农业、就业、教育、收入4个方面分析了新冠肺炎疫情对打赢脱贫攻坚战的影响,提出了我国打赢脱贫攻坚战的对策建议:加大消费扶贫力度,促进农畜产品销售渠道多元化;加大转移就业扶贫政策倾斜力度;加强网络基础设施建设;加大科学动态扶贫管理力度;完善农村卫生及医疗服务体系.     

Ecology. Stalking the wild mustard

Arabidopsis thaliana is not just for plant biologists anymore. A few intrepid ecologists and evolutionary biologists are now touting its merits as a system in which to study the genetic basis of the traits they study. The newly completed genome sequence is allowing researchers to connect the genotype--an organism's particular mix of genes--with its phenotype--how that organism develops and acts--in ways that have not been possible in other organisms whose genetics are not as well known.